


Karkat's Regression

by RestlessCancer



Series: Read Me On A Dare: The stuff that wasn't initially intended for posting [1]
Category: Homestuck
Genre: M/M, This Is the shit you read on a dare.
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-11
Updated: 2013-10-20
Packaged: 2017-12-23 02:49:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 25
Words: 27,638
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/921116
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RestlessCancer/pseuds/RestlessCancer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>My friend, a wonderful person and excellent Terezi Pyrope among other things, asked me to post this drabble, which is the first fan fiction piece that I wrote for fun for Homestuck. In it, I decided to explore what it would be like if Karkat was suddenly only a sweep old again after some freak accident.<br/>If any one makes it through this thing and actually likes it, I will commend them and who knows, at some point I may just spoil them with a little Homestuck gear or something. I'm artsy so I like to make my own for the most part.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Caution Is A Thing That A Karkat Doesn't Use On Occasion

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, my use of character quirks will be inconsistent. If this bothers you, please do not tell me. I will get to it when I get to it. My first task is posting the thing that is supposed to either have or not have the quirks.  
> Calm your tits, love.

Karkat walked into the lab and passed the various dead, black screens. He was re-exploring it for the first time since he was there with Sollux while they hid from Gamzee. He recalled the incident where he ended up grubsitting his generation and his ancestor’s and how he managed that day. Honestly, it was a fond memory. He would never admit it, but he actually enjoyed the little nookstains. He supposed he had a soft spot for them. He was playing around with the knobs for nostalgia’s sake when something went wrong. As he stepped away from the suspected to be dead machinery and traced faded footsteps onto the platform, the machines groaned and whirred. Suddenly Karkat was one sweep old again. The machine had sputtered and screeched, which gave a clue to the others throughout the complex that something went awry.

You are now Karkat Vantas. You are one sweep old and find yourself in a strange place. You look around for crabdad, but find no sign of him. Where is he? You are wearing a huge sweater with a strangely familiar symbol on it. Why is it so familiar while everything else isn’t? You hear voices that are approaching and suddenly pale-pinkish creatures walk through a doorway. You tremble and watch them, taking a step back for every step forward that they take.

One figure is wearing blue, another is wearing a purple color. What are these things? They don’t look like anything you’ve seen before.

One of them speaks up, the one in blue, “Karkat? You look different…. Are you alright?”

You dash under the nearest machine and tremble. How did that thing know your name? You peer out from your new found safe spot. You wonder what they’ll do to you… Probably cull you on the spot if they can grab you. You hear more and more voices coming. There are so many of them! You look out to find that most of the voices belong to your species and seem vaguely familiar, but not. You see rainbow drinkers and high bloods. You catch bits of a conversation.

One voice says, “I think something happened to Karkat…. He looked different and pretty scared and confused.” 

That’s the voice of the creature in blue.

“I warned him not to tinker with the machines anymore, but alas he seems to want to go against everything I say.” Another voice, you look to see that it’s a rainbow drinker with Jade blood. Jade bloods are less vicious than some others on the hemoscale, but you don’t really trust anyone at this point.

“What’s going on?” This voice sounds rather pissed.

“I think Karkat may have… regressed? Is that what you would call it, Kanaya?” The blue creature again.

“Yes, I believe that Karkat was messing with the machine and it backfired, regressing him to a younger age.” That’s the voice of the Jade blood.


	2. Dave's Pissy And John Takes Karkat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a little fun fact for my readers:  
> I grew up with a ton of baby cousins and the number is multiplying every year. I have watched over and cared for at least two dozen of my baby cousins. My mom had 10 siblings and they had a lot of kids who have probably more than doubled the number of cousins I have. So, Karkat as toddler is a meshing of the numerous cousins that I have cared for over the years of my life, which I started doing when I was about 10, so at least 6 years of caring for them myself with few intervening moments by my mom.

What are they talking about? What does any of that mean?

“Ugh, I’ll get him out. I bet he’s just trying to fuck with us. He’s still pissed about my bucket prank I bet. That shit was ironic and funny and he knows it.” That’s the pissed voice again.

A figure comes to your hiding spot, attempting to reach under and grab you. You bite his hand and dash away under the crawl space of the machines. Hot tears form in your eyes as you get even more scared than before. You run out of crawl space and notice a door nearby. You need only to make sure they’re distracted and then you can make your escape. You had gotten around surprisingly well in this large sweater so far, maybe it will work out. You notice they’re distracted by the angry creature’s comments on how you bit him. Serves him right for trying to get you. He’s a big scary creature, why would you let a big scary creature take you?

You take the chance and try to dash towards the door but you trip on a platform and then find yourself entangled in the oversized sweater. You burst into tears as you fall to the floor and cry harder as you try to crawl away while the strange creatures approach.

The blue creature speaks to the others, “Don’t follow me! He’s obviously scared and confused. If we all try to approach him, it will only make things worse!”

The blue creature kneels down as the others back off a bit. He walks slowly on his knees towards you.

“Hey Karkat… Do you know me? My name is John, remember?” He says, approaching ever so slowly.

You shake your head violently. You don’t know this creature. Or at least you don’t think you do. You find that you still can move tangled up in the huge sweater. 

“I won’t hurt you! You really liked me for awhile before this you know?” John tries to remind you, he is now only a body length away.

“Cwabdada!” You cry out and bawl, looking towards the door as you squirm in the sea of black wool sweater. He doesn’t come though.

“Oh Jeez…” John mutters. “This isn’t going to be easy on him…”

Did the blue thing hurt crabdad? Is that why he isn’t coming? You are afraid to find out and continue to struggle with the stretchy fabric. John comes closer.

“I didn’t think he got turned back that far, Kanaya…” John calls to the Jade blood as he finally reaches you.

You screech , bawl, and kick waiting to feel him fight your struggle.

“Karkat, calm down. I won’t touch you or come near you unless you want me.” This John creature is slightly more appealing now. “Can I give you hugs?”

You do love hugs. You snuggled with crabdad every night before now. But is that all this blue creature named John wants? You manage to free your arms through the neck whole of the sweater but your legs are still tangled somewhere in the rest of the mess of inky wool. You reach out towards this John and he takes you into his arms, cuddling you close and stroking your hair.

“I wanna go hoooome!” You cry into the blue creature. Aside from the clothes and hair, it looks like a lusus. Maybe crabdad got a new little one and this one is supposed to be your lusus? He certainly seems more like a lusus than the others. “Whewe’s cwabdada? I’m scawed!”

“It’s alright Karkat, I’ve got you.” The lusus like creature nuzzles you. “Crabdad went bye-bye. And you are home. We are one big family!”

You stare at him blankly, at least you think it’s a him, something about the name says it’s a him. You start to process what he means and you don’t like it at all. Crabdad is gone for good and you are stuck with a bunch of creatures that are bigger than you and trolls that are bigger and would probably cull you on the spot.

“Waaaaaahhhh!!!” You cry until your gasping and shuddering from all the tears. The tear streaks stain your face and your eyes feel hot and uncomfortable. You just want crabdad back. Even if you are stuck in this strange place.

“Sssshhh, Karkat. It’s alright. I’ll protect you from big bad Dave. He’s not so scary when he isn’t so cranky.” John jokes, but that means nothing. Who’s this Dave thing?

You cling to your new half-lusus. You decide to call him Blueswirl, like the one on his shirt. For some reason you just don’t like the name John. You curl up in his arms like you used to do with crabdad when you were just a baby (grub). Your back nestled between its arm and body and you grab tight to his shirt. You see the angry creature and tremble at the red eyes that you glimpse as he fixes his shades.

“It’s alright! Dave’s just cranky. He would never hurt you!” Blueswirl reassures you. You realize that angry creature is called Dave. You don’t think you like Dave. Dave looks scary and mean!


	3. Everyone Always Thought Karkat Was The Baby Of The Group

You curl in towards Blueswirl’s body and cry as Dave stares down at you. Blueswirl gets up with you in his arms. He sways a bit with you and you grab his hand, automatically sticking his thumb in your mouth. Crabdad used to do this to put you to sleep, though he didn’t have a thumb so he either gave you the crab shaped pacifier or you just sucked on your own thumb. He had tried to wean you of this habit, but you held onto it.

“I didn’t know Karkat was ever that sweet.” The creature in purple says as it watches you.

“He wa2 really ni2e when he wa2 little, but he got to be a real jerk a2 he di2covered in2ecurity.” A troll says. This one reminds you of your friend Sollux. Both have different colored eyes and talk funny. 

“He was quite the sweetheart when he was little I must confess. He was actually one of the most nurturing out of all of us, including me. I remember my lusus having told me of stories where Sollux would get picked on by Equuis and then he would go cry in a corner. Karkat always wriggled up to him and snuggled with him. She showed me pictures and I admit they are some of my favorites. Not many grubs are all that sweet when they’re little.” Jade blood Kanaya again. “Among one of my favorite pictures is one of Karkat and Sollux sucking on each other’s thumbs, curled up and asleep.”

“2hut up Kanaya!” The Sollux like troll flushes in embarrassment. You remember doing that very same thing with your friend Sollux.

“Wwhere’s this filthblood?” A funny voice comes forward, he has weird ears and is covered in a lot of purple, but is still a troll. “I swwear I’m gonna cull him on the spot wwhile I can!”

You panic as you recognize the word “cull.” You know what he’s going to do if he gets a hold of you. You start to squirm and push against the lusus-like creature, hoping to escape before you get handed over to the troll who wants to cull you. 

“Hey, fi2hfuck, you’re not culling anyone!” The Sollux troll says, crossing his arms over his chest and inserting himself in the space between you the culling purple-blood. “Why would you even want to when he’2 the one who’2 always bailing your a22 out?”

“Um, what’s culling?” The lusus like creature asks, its face turning red.

“Killing Is The Equivalent In Your Native Vernacular.” The Jade-blood sighs, rubbing her fingers to her temples. 

“What?” Blueswirl sounds shocked at this fact. 

He pulls you closer to him and you struggle less as you realize that he intends to protect you from the purple-blood. You grab onto his shirt and cling to the fabric desperate for any escape or protection you can get.

“Why don’t you go take an ice-bath and chill your gills, Eridan?” A creature in green says, for some reason you think this one is a female like the one in purple, maybe it’s the body shape?

They seem to resemble female trolls’ body types. She steps in front of you too. You wonder why the strange creatures care so much.

“I may not have liked Karkat for a long time, but right now, he’s just a baby! Hurting people is wrong, especially if they’re defenseless!” She scolds him.

“Wwell it makes it easier to get rid of them!” Eridan argues, attempting push past the two.

The creature in green punches him in the stomach and he recoils. 

“Behave!” She snaps at him.

“Fin, havve it your wway. Just wwait until he gets older, you’ll see wwhy he has to go. He culled us all once already. Now you’re gonna make it déjà vvu.” Eridan snaps as he walks off.

“Wow, Jade, I’m kind of turned on right now.” Dave admits.

“Keep it to yourself please, Dave.” She flushes.

She walks over to you and wiggles her finger into your palm. You grab onto it as you sniffle. You rub your eyes with your other balled up hand. She looks into your eyes as she kisses the fist that’s holding onto her finger. You sniffle again and then hug her hand to your chest. She kisses your cheek and then shakes her hand a little to request that you let go of it. You comply and release her hand curling into Blueswirl. You yawn, opening your mouth widely, obtaining a firm grip on Blueswirl’s thumb, and insert it into your mouth. All of this chaos and confusion has worn you out and you would like to sleep, but your lusus is supposed to decide your schedule. You hope that your new half-lusus will decide to let you sleep. You look up at its face with heavy eyelids.

“Can I go na-naht?” You remember having to ask your lusus, so you ask you half-lusus.

“Oh yeah! You must be pretty tuckered out huh?” Blueswirl replies.

You yawn again in response and your eyelids start to slam shut. Suddenly you hear a loud banging and are wide awake. You get scared as an even bigger and scarier creature comes in and gets close to you. You are amazed at how many scary things inhabit this place and are suddenly afraid to let down your guard. It stops and looks down at you and Blueswirl. You fidget and squirm; gripping Blueswirl’s thumb harder, but release it from your mouth. You start to whine to convince Blueswirl to send this scary figure away, but he doesn’t understand.

“What in the ever loving fuck happened?” The bigger creature asks. It looks a lot like Blueswirl but it has a green skull on it.

“Karkat was tinkering with the machines and then he was regressed.” Kanaya explains.

“Well, Dave, you better get upstairs and take care of Dirk, he’s awake and unhappy to be.” The green skull tells him.

You start crying and clutch one hand to Blueswirl’s clothes and the other still to his thumb.

“Why is he crying?” Green skull demands.

“I think he needs a nap… and I think you scare him.” Blueswirl tells Green skull.

“Go get him properly dressed and lay him down with a bottle and a blanket.” Green Skull orders your half-lusus.

Crabdad had stopped giving you bottles, but you’re content with the option since it gets you to a nap and away from the scary green skull. Blueswirl cradles you in his arms and begins to move. Not long after, he has a bottle, clothes more suited to your age and size, and a plain blue blanket, attempting to lay you on the blanket with the bottle, but you aren’t having it. You don’t want to be without your half-lusus if one of those scary creatures or big trolls show up. You also object to the plain blue blanket, where’s yours? Yours has little crabs on it and was made by crabdad.

“What’s wrong, buddy?” Blueswirl asks.

“Wan Cwabdada’s bwankey…” Your eyes tear up as you look at the plain blue blanket.

“Alright, let’s go find it.” Blueswirl smiles and cuddles you to his chest.

“No need, here.” The troll who likes like your Sollux hands your half-lusus your blanket.

“How did you know?” Blueswirl asks.

“It’2 KK. I’ve known him for year2. Even though he’d never admit it, he never 2leep2 without it.” Big Sollux explains. Your Sollux calls you KK too. “Hone2tly, I caught him 2ucking hi2 thumb one night too.”

You suddenly feel ashamed of sucking your thumb. You dismiss the thought, that’s a different troll. You can put your thumb in your mouth if you please and you will.

“Okay, thanks Sollux.” Blueswirl says.

Big Sollux smirks and walks away. Blueswirl lays you down on the blanket and slips you out of the sweater. He puts a diaper on you, and slips a pair of leggings, and a somewhat too big sweater, resembling the one you were wrapped in previously, onto you. He tries to give you the bottle, but you refuse it. He obviously intends to leave after you take it.

“What is, little guy?” Blueswirl asks.

Your lip trembles as you realize he might leave you.

“Oh no, no, don’t cry! I’ll stay. It’s alright, shhh.” Blueswirl swaddles you up, cuddles you, and helps you hold the bottle.

Eventually you get too tired to drink anymore and let the bottle fall away. You snuggle up to Blueswirl and take his thumb in your mouth. You look up at him and he   
smiles.


	4. Chapter 4

You fall asleep and dream of a strange world covered in yellow and a troll who looks like the big version of you. You wonder if this troll is the ancestor crabdad told you about, but he doesn’t seem like it. Something is different from what crabdad told you. He seems to naturally embrace and care for you, which gives the impression that he has to be related much more closely to you. Brother? 

He warns you that something dangerous and powerful is coming. You have no idea what he means. You wonder if he’s talking about green skull or Dave, both are bigger than you and by far more powerful. You tell this ‘familiar’ that it sounds scary and you want to go home. He gets easily frustrated by this and tells you to grow up and be the leader you’re supposed to be. You whimper and say that you don’t understand, which only infuriates the figure more. It seems rather sudden as he calms down and cuddles you. He apologizes and then says you’re too young to know what will be expected of you. Suddenly the strange place shakes, tremors reverberating off every surface. Things seem to start coming down and you cry out.

Your face damp with tears, you look around for your half-lusus, but can’t seem to find him. You feel uncomfortable and the feeling worsens as you realize why. You soiled yourself during the terrifying and confusing dream and now you have to find your half-lusus so it will go away and you can be clean again. You’re not sure it would be a good idea to cry since someone unwanted might show up. You whimper and whine as you try to deal with the discomfort, then you hear footsteps. 

Lying on your back, you turn your head to try and see who’s there, feeling vulnerable lying next to a couch on your blanket on the floor. The feet you see don’t match those of your half-lusus, but they do match those of the big Sollux. You decide to get his attention. You cry out and rub your eyes roughly, as if whatever’s in them won’t come out. You succeed in capturing his attention. He gets down on the floor and scoops you up into his arms. He supports your head with one hand and your back with the other. You latch onto him and practically nibble on his shoulder with your baby-fangs as you continue to cry into it.

“Whoa, KK, you reek!” Sollux pulls you away from his body a bit. “2omeone need2 changed.”

Sollux lays you down and proceeds to change your diaper. He wipes you all clean and dries you off. Then he puts a fresh diaper on you and pulls your leggings back up, kissing your tummy and nuzzling it, which makes you giggle and attempt to pull your legs up in front of your tummy in defense, before he pulls your sweater back down to its proper place.

“Sowwucks!” You reach out to him, grabbing at the air in front of him.

“I mii22 when you were like thii2. You were 2o open and 2weet, but you changed…” Sollux takes you up in his arms and then gets up.

He rocks you as he walks, wandering around the strange building complex. You find yourself content in his arms, but then you spot your half-lusus and whine to get both his attention and Sollux’s. Your half-lusus comes over with a guilty expression, but you’re not that upset because Sollux. (took care of you. Sorry I had to… You know what I mean. Feels and Screams) Blueswirl stands in front of you and holds his arms out to you but you just grab his thumb and put it in your mouth. You’re content to stay with Sollux for awhile because he seems to naturally know what to do and what you want. Sollux tries to hand you over to Blueswirl but you fight him by clinging to his shirt. He must have misunderstood your gesture because you just wanted Blueswirl to know you weren’t upset not that you wanted to go with him.

“Come on, KK. Go back to your new lu2u2.” Sollux encourages you.

“Hey, come here… I’m sorry I left. I just had to go clean up.” Blueswirl apologizes.

Sollux pries your hands from his shirt and hands you to your half-lusus. You stare at Sollux, feeling more than a little hurt by his rejection, and your lip quivers as your eyes tear up.

“Waaaaaaahhh!” You cry, reaching out for Sollux. 

He kisses your tears and walks away. You curl into your half-lusus, burying your face in his chest with your hands balled into little fists tucked to your chest and clutching Blueswirl’s tee. You cry until you run out of tears. This was more upsetting than it should have been, but you realize that there’s so few of these creatures and trolls that you trust and that you just don’t like when they leave. Who knows when they’ll come back? You assume the worst, but don’t understand that it’s bad to do so. Your half-lusus is simply comforting you, rubbing your back and giving you kisses. You start to feel comforted and you look up at him. He smiles and rubs his nose to yours, risking getting your snot all over it.

“Let’s take you to meet some others. There are little ones like you around here too.” Blueswirl says, not posing it as up for debate.


	5. Chapter 5

You go to a room painted with warm colors. There are clouds and planets and flowers in grass. You see little stuffed toys littering the room and they look like the ones your friends have. You spot your own in the mix. You see small creature who looks like Dave but nicer and a bunch of grubs that look like your friends did when they were so small. You notice one that looks a little like you but not the same. Your-half lusus sets you down across from the small Dave-like creature. You shy away from him and notice your stuffed crab is within your reach, but that would mean getting a little closer to the mini-Dave. 

You go for it regardless since it’s so close. You crawl towards it and try to take a hold of your crab, but you find that mini-Dave has a grip on it. His lip quivers as you try to pull it away. You want to take your crab, but you don’t want to upset him because you’re not sure what he will do. You pull on it with a little more force and he whines. You crawl away and look for Blueswirl. You find him and stretch your arms up to him, your own lip quivering. 

“Karkat, what’s the matter?” Blueswirl asks, squatting down in front of you.

“Wan go!” You tell him, crawling up to him and grabbing his shirt as you bury your face in it.

“You should try to play; you’ll get tired of sitting around with us.” He tells you, rubbing your back and kissing your stubby horns. 

“Wan my cwab!” You say, looking up at him with sad eyes.

“You couldn’t get it?”

“No… He scawy…” 

“Alright, I’ll help you.” 

Blueswirl grabs your hands and walks you over to the mini-Dave. You snuggle into your half-lusus, afraid to get close to the small thing. He gently coaxes you closer, but you cling to him.

“Hi, Dirk!” Your half-lusus says, apparently talking to the mini-Dave.

Dirk babbles.

“Hey buddy, what do have there?” He asks.

“Dis!” Dirk holds up the crab.

“That’s pretty neat!” He smiles. “Can Karkat have it?”

“Gis!” 

Dirk giggles as he hands it to your half-lusus, who tickles Dirk’s stomach. You look at Blueswirl in amazement and he hands you the crab. You hug it close to your chest and put your thumb in your mouth. Maybe Dirk isn’t like Dave, maybe they just look alike? A shadow comes over you and Blueswirl and you look up to see Dave looming overhead. Your eyes widen and you tremble, toddling into your half-lusus’ arms. You whine a bit and clutch a hand to his shirt.

“Hey, Dave. What’s up?” Blueswirl addresses him. 

“Just came to check on the squirt. Doing anything ironic yet?” He asks and you wonder if he really was just cranky.

“No, not to my knowledge. I just brought Karkat to play with him for awhile, but he’s a little too shy…”

“Dada!” Dirk exclaims with a giggle, reaching out towards Dave.

“Come here you little twirp!” Dave sounds like he’s being affectionate as he lifts up the little version of himself. 

You see him smile and you look up at Blueswirl. You think about trying to call him that but you realize you can’t say it. You think hard and come up with another name. You decide to call him Jojo. It seems like something you could say and you decide to give it a try.

“Jojo!” You say, slipping your thumb out of your mouth long enough to say it.

“What did you say?” He asks, a smile starting to show through his awe.

You grin and pull your thumb out to say it again, “Jojo!”

“John, you’re a homo. No doubtin’ it, bro.” Dave says.

Jojo picks you up and cuddles you as he replies, “Nooo, Dave!”

You reach out towards Dirk and he does the same, curiosity guiding you both. You grab his arm and pull towards him. You hug and nuzzle him and he giggles in response. 

“Bebe!” He points at you as he looks to his half-lusus.

“That’s right, little man!” Dave nuzzles him.

“If caring for a kid means I’m gay, then you are too!” Jojo teases Dave.

“Then let’s make it happen, sexy man!” Dave smirks.

All of this is beyond your understanding. You have no idea what they mean. You squirm and shift, trying to tell him to let you down. You want to go see the little wrigglers on the ground. They were asleep when you came in, but they’re awake and wriggling now. Jojo lets you down and you crawl towards them, especially interested in the one bearing a slight resemblance to you. You lie on your stomach and cuddle your crab, using it like a pillow beneath your chin. The little red wriggler comes up to you and you reach a hand out to him.

“Bebe?” You question him.

He squeaks at you and you can’t understand what he says.

“Jojo?” 

You look for your lusus and he carefully sits down next to you.

“Hey, buddy.” He replies.

“Bebe?” You ask, pointing to the wriggler crawling closer to you.

“Yeah, that’s a baby.” He smiles encouragingly at you.

“Me yew bebe?” You ask.

“Yep, you’re my baby.” He chuckles and you frown.

You don’t like that it’s a joke to him. You really want to know if you have what Dirk called Dave, a ‘dada.’ You think that it means the same as lusus and you want a lusus. You thought he was your lusus, but now he says you’re not. You pout, putting your chin on the stuffed crab and you look at the little wriggler. You rub his chin with your finger and he purrs in response. You curl up and let him crawl onto your stomach. He crawls up to your chest and nuzzles your chin. You pick him up and he squeaks at you. You pull him closer to your body again and he squeaks less frantically. You let him crawl on you until he just crawls away to join the others. Wrigglers aren’t very entertaining to you. You roll over onto your stomach and just lay there. You sniff, feeling a little a sad about not having a lusus.

“What’s the matter, little guy?” Jojo asks you, bending down to look you in the eye as he rubs circles in your back.

“Wan Sowwucks…” You hadn’t given him a second thought since Jojo had lulled you into contentment earlier.

“Alright, let’s go find him.” 

He picks you up and you take your crab with you. You hear faint squeaks and find that the little wriggler you had cuddled with is still on the crab. Your eyes widen and you look up at Jojo. You wonder if he’s noticed.

“Jojo…”

“What, baby?” He asks, less happy than before.

“Bebe bye-bye…”

You show him the wriggler crawling up onto your chest and curling up for a nap.

“Karkat, you can’t take them with you!” Jojo seems angry as he walks back to the pleasant room where all the wrigglers stay. “Kanaya, you have a fugitive.”

“Oh Really? Who Was It This Time?” The Jade blood appears from around the corner.

“Kankri.”

“Ah, He Seems To Have An Attachment To You, Much Like Karkat.” Kanaya responds.

Jojo softens up a bit and smiles a little.

“Yeah… I think I have an attachment to them too.” 

You watch the wriggler on your chest and frown as Kanaya takes him away.

“Bebe…” You mumble and clutch the crab tighter to your chest.

“What’s That, Bugaboo?” Kanaya asks, nuzzling your cheek with her nose.

“Sowwucks!” You whine. “Wan Sowwucks…”

“Alright, we’ll go find him.” Jojo responds.


	6. Chapter 6

Jojo carries you through a series of rooms until you come across Sollux. 

“Sowwucks!” You call out in a rather pitiful and shaky voice.

Sollux looks up from his device and searches the room with his eyes until he sees you. Your eyes get watery and you grab at the air in front of him. You sniffle and whine, waiting for him to take you into his arms and cuddle you. He gets up and comes over to you, taking you into his arms as you start crying. You cling to him and he holds you tightly to his chest.

“What’2 wrong, KK?” He murmurs the question. 

You’re not sure what to say, nor whether you want to say what’s on your mind.

“John, we need a little help here.” The non-troll creature in purple comes and beckons for your half-lusus to come with her.

“Oh, okay.” Jojo replies and turns to you, “Will you be alright, baby?”

“Mmm-hmm…” You sniffle, rubbing at your eyes. 

“Bye bye, see you later, Karkat.” He kisses your forehead and leaves.

You cry into Sollux’s chest, keeping a firm grip on his shirt. You don’t like all this abandonment and you really don’t like that your half-lusus isn’t being a lusus. You also don’t like that he doesn’t seem to want to be a lusus. Then you have Sollux who makes a great lusus and seems to like you, but doesn’t want the role. You are so confused and you don’t know who to put your affection towards. You just want someone to look after you and love you. You hate being alone and it seems like that’s all you ever are. 

“Hey, 2222222hhhhhh, KK.” Sollux nuzzles you, stroking your hair.

“Down…” You murmur through hiccups and sniffles.

“What’2 that?” 

“Won down…” You speak up a little.

He sits down with you in his arms. He lays you in his lap and kisses your forehead. You roll out of his lap and start crawling away. You make it over to his desk chair and pull yourself up. You toddle off at an impeccable pace for your age and go through a doorway. You hear Sollux getting up behind you. 

“KK! Come back! Don’t wander off like that!” Sollux calls, stumbling over the chair you pulled yourself up with.

You ignore him and keep going. You toddle through several rooms becoming hopelessly lost and you can’t hear Sollux anymore. You look around and you can’t find anything familiar. Somewhat tired and entirely hopeless, you drop to your knees and sniffle. Instead of crying you just sit there and wait, hoping someone will find you. You don’t have long to wait before Dave comes through, not noticing you until Dirk makes a fuss as he spots you sitting a little ways from one of the walls, rubbing your eyes and still sniffling.

“Bebe!” Dirk calls, pointing to you. “Dada! Bebe!”

“What, little man?” Dave asks.

“Beeeebeeee!” Dirk whines, fussing in his arms as he reaches towards you.

Dave looks around the room until he spots you. You start to shake a little as you rub at your eyes more. You are starting to feel tired again and you wish you hadn’t run off. Dave comes toward you and kneels down in front of you.

“Wanna ride, little Kat?” Dave smiles at you, reaching his free arm towards you.

“mmmm…” You hesitate, pulling your fists to your chest and pulling your chin into them.

“Come on, I won’t bite and Dirk’s sweet on you.” Dave encourages you.

“Dada?” You try the words and slowly start reaching towards him.

“If you want, Little Kat.” 

Dave pulls you into his arms and cradles you like a baby. Dirk lays on top of you and cuddles with you. You wrap your arms around him and realize that you lost your crab somewhere in all the running away. You yawn as Dave starts walking and rocks you and Dirk to sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

You wake up and find yourself in Dave’s arms. Dirk is already awake and drinking a bottle. Dave smirks at you while he tries to keep Dirk from escaping with his free hand. You yawn and rub at your eyes. You sit up and nestle into Dave’s chest. You don’t know that you care what happens. You feel very sad and a little alone. Dave rubs your back and then, taking you and Dirk in his arms, gets up. He carries you and Dirk over to an odd-looking contraption that looks like a netted rectangular fence. He places Dirk, still drinking his bottle, inside and takes you over to a blanket. He lays you down on your back, pulls your leggings down, and starts to change your diaper. You hadn’t even really noticed you had soiled yourself. He goes through the process and gets you dressed. You decide that Sollux had done a better job, but you’re not all that happy with him right now. He seemed more up to the role when you last saw him, but it still wasn’t what you had hoped. You reach up to Dave, grabbing at the air in front of him.

“Come here.” 

Dave picks you up and hugs you. Dirk starts making a fuss, which soon turns to crying. Dave lays you down in the fenced in area and picks Dirk up. You watch through the netting as he changes Dirk as well, also sparing the theatrics that Sollux did with you. You wonder if it means that he cares more if he doesn’t be all lovey-dovey with you all the time. You roll onto your stomach and lay there, motionless. You don’t know what to do. Dirk is suddenly climbing all over you and playing with your hand. He starts playing with your horns and you whine.

“What’s the matter, Little Kat?” Dave rubs your back. 

You don’t respond. You feel like you’ll always be tired and sad now. You have no lusus and you have no idea where the two who come the closest to being one are. You put your thumb in your mouth and then take it back out, finding no comfort in the motion. You hear someone enter and Dave picks you up. He turns around and you see that Kanaya is the new addition to your group in this unfamiliar room. Dave bounces you in his arms in kisses the top of your head. Kanaya comes closer.

“You wanna go with Kanaya, Little Kat?” Dave asks, keeping a tight hold on you as if he doesn’t actually want to hand you off.

You just look at her blankly, not sure you care.

“Hello Angel. Can Mama Kanaya Take You?” She asks, timidly extending her arms to you.

“no…” You clutch onto Dave, a feeling like you need to stay a little longer.

“You sure, Tiny Troll?” Dave asks.

“Dada?” You ask him.

“Sure, baby, Dada.” He answers, hugging you closer.

“I’ll Just Make Him Something To Eat And Come Back.” Kanaya says before she leaves.

“Bebe!” Dirk calls.

“You wanna go play?” Dave asks.

“No.” You answer. “Won dada… snuggy…”

“Alright, little guy.” 

Dave sits down with you and cuddles you to his chest. You stay curled up and hear footsteps. You think it would be Kanaya again, but the one who walks in isn’t   
Kanaya. Green Skull is back.

“Hey, Jake. What’s up man?” Dave asks and you start fussing.

“Egbert’s run off after that crazy little witch of yours to try and stop her from executing her fucking bullshit plans that are a damned crazy series of suicide missions!”

You start bawling because his anger and naughty words scare you. He scares you. You clutch at Dave and he pulls you away so that he can look at you. You ball up, tensed and scared, bawling even harder.

“What’s the matter now?” He asks as he pulls you in tight, tucking you inside his sweatshirt.

“Eeeeehhh! Uwaaaaaahhhhnn!” You cry, burying your face in his chest, breathing his scent in. 

“What’s that little shit crying about now?” Jake demands.

“Dude, stop swearing. It’s not cool in front of the tykes.” Dave glares at Jake as he tries to soothe you by rubbing your back and nuzzling you.

“Are you fu-”

“NO! Dude, what did I just say?” Dave snaps.

“Fine. I’ll go rage elsewhere.” Jake says as he storms off.

“It’s alright, Tiny Tyke.” He comforts you.

“Hey, have you 2een-” You hear Sollux and perk up.


	8. Chapter 8

You look up at him with red, puffy eyes and a sad look on your face. 

“KK!” He exclaims and you notice he has your crab in his hands.

“Sowwucks…” You say pathetically.

“He’s been chillin’ here. I found him crying in a corner after Dirk spotted him. Little twirp can’t get enough of him.” Dave explains.

Sollux comes over and nuzzles you.

“Sowwucks…” You say and then increase in emotion. “Sowwucks. Sowwucks!”

You cry more as you reach out to him and he takes you in his arms. He holds you closer and kisses your cheeks and forehead.

“Don’t run away, KK. I can’t protect you if you do.” Sollux tells you. 

“Dada!” You call him.

“I will be 2o much more. I want you to be the way you were 2upposed to be. Weird and fun, but 2omehow lame.” Sollux says.

“Mow?” You ask as you sniffle.

“Ye2, I will be more than ju2t a lu2u2. I’ll be your Mate2prit.” Sollux tells you.

You know that’s an important thing, but you don’t know why. 

“For now, lu2u2. But you can call me Dada like human2 do.” Sollux smiles and bounces you in his arms.


	9. Chapter 9

= = =>  
You are now Karkat Vantas at age One and a half sweeps. Not much has changed since Sollux took over as your lusus and Jojo became a friend older than you. Your lusus and his companions have not succeeded in their plans to “change you back,” a plan you did not even know was happening, nor do you understand what back means or why it needs to happen. You are walking much more steadily now and you are more comfortable with your daily routine. You stay with Kanaya for part of the day, playing with her and Dirk and the wrigglers, then spend a small part of the day getting to know more about Jojo, Sollux, and the others, and the rest of the day you spend with Sollux, playing, sleeping, learning. 

Your Sollus (Sollux + Lusus = Sollus) has managed to potty train you. You still have trouble at night because of the dreams that are very ominous. These dreams often revolve around the strange ‘familiar’ and are not much more than threats about future events you might cause. You wonder how you could become such a bad child when everyone around you seems convinced that you are an angel. They praise how well-behaved and sweet you are, but then your familiar says otherwise. You wonder what happens to make you such a bad child and whether you can change that or not.

It’s the middle of the night, you wake in wet sheets. This last dream was especially disturbing, showing the deaths of trolls who look like older versions of all your friends and one who looks exactly like you. Luckily, they left the safety rails on your bed down so you could go to your Sollus’ room. You feel hot tears run down your face and you climb out of bed and run towards Sollus’ room and knock on the door. There is no answer. Your pulse races through your body and your heart beats painfully quick in your chest. You can hear things creaking, sputtering, and moving in the halls and the rooms branching off from them. You knock harder this time, but still no answer. You hear a door slam, you know who it is and you are still terrified of him. It’s Green Skull. You hear his footsteps approaching. You bang on the door as hard as you can with your tiny fists. Still nothing, not even a voice calling you in. You open the door and rush in, closing it behind you as the footsteps keep coming.

Your eyes adjust to the darkness and you walk over to Sollus’ bed. You climb into the bed and sort through all the pillows, blankets, and sheets. You can’t find any trace of him. You cry as you climb out of the bed and leave the room. You go to the doorway to the living room and peer in. There’s a few trolls consisting of Vriska, Terezi, and Gamzee, but not Jojo or Sollux, or even Kanaya or Dave for that matter. You creep away and got to the lab, you find Dave and the non-troll you’ve come to know as Rose. You try to sneak away, but you trip over your own foot as you try to make a tight turn-around. 

“Hey, Little Kat, whatcha doin’ outta bed?” Dave calls as he approaches. 

“Whewe’s Dada?” You cry, rubbing your eyes and sniffling.

“I dunno, twirp.” He responds.

He notices the darker section on your crab footie pajamas from your accident and you look at the floor, still crying.

“Come on, Kat, let’s get you cleaned up.” 

Dave takes you into his arms and carries you to the nearest bathroom. He gets you into the bath and helps you bathe, letting you play for a few minutes while he grabs clean pjs for you. He comes back, dries you off and helps you dress. 

“Will you stay with Rose while I change your sheets?” He asks you.

“Okay…” You respond.

“Do you need to go?” 

“No.”

“Will you try?”

“Okay…” 

Afterwards, he carries you back to the lab and hands you off to Rose. She takes you in her arms and you rest your head against her shoulder. She’s not very motherly or good with kids, but she is okay. You put your thumb in your mouth and look around the room as she continues her tinkering with her free hand. You wonder if this tinkering has anything to do with their plan to “change you back.” You don’t give it another thought. None of it makes sense and you’re too tired and upset to care about something that doesn’t make sense.

“Won down…” You tell Rose.

“Alright, but don’t go running off, Dave will be back soon.” Rose tells you as she sets you down and delves into messing with switches and wires. 

You walk towards the doorway and go to your room from there. You find Dave turning over your bedding and you simply watch. He turns around and shakes his head when he sees that you’re standing there. He walks toward you and picks you up.

“Let’s go find your daddy.” Dave says as he carries you through the complex.

You watch for any signs of him, but you find nothing. Dave carries you to another living room with computers lined along the walls. He looks around and spots your Sollus. He tries to look at your face to see if you’re awake and you look up at him, your head rests on his shoulder.

“Sollux, you’ve gotta a tyke to tend to.” Dave speaks up.

“Hmnnn?” Sollux awakens and looks around, finally spotting you in Dave’s arms.

“Dude, stop coding so late. You are like the biggest nerd alive, I swear.” He shakes his head at your Sollus as he says this.

“Dada, won na-naht…” You sleepily reach out to him. 

“Come here, KK.” He says as he gets up and takes you in his arms. “Thank2 Dave.”

“No problem. Let’s not make it a habit though. I already have one to watch.” Dave responds and walks off. “He’s all cleaned up and so are his sheets.”

“Dada, no bye-bye pweeze…” You murmur, clinging to your lusus. 

“I’m 2orry, KK. I’ll 2top 2taying up 2o late.” 

He kisses your cheek and rubs your back before cradling you in his arms and giving you his thumb to suck on. He carries you into his room and lies down with you.

“What wa2 thi2 one about?” He asks as he situates you on his chest.

“Dada, you all went bye-bye fow ewer.” You cry a little bit as you think of seeing everyone dead. “Me too…”

“22222hhh, it wa2 ju2t a dream. I’m right here.” Sollux promises. “Hu2h little KK don’t 2queak a peep. Clo2e your eye2 and go to 2leep. Daddy’2 gonna be here for every 2weep. If you find your2elf alone, ju2t open your eye2. All tho2e 2illy dream2 are ju2t white lie2. You’ll never have to hear any goodbye2. I’ll alway2 be there to lull your crie2. 2leep little KK and feel 2afe when you wake and into my arms it’2 you I will take. Hu2h little KK and feel 2afe when you wake…”

Your Sollus isn’t very good with lullabies, but you like it anyway.


	10. Chapter 10

You fall asleep in his arms and dream of much more pleasant things. There are no more bodies or scary creatures. It’s just you and Sollus going about your favorite activities. You awaken as light creeps into Sollus’ room and drunkenly splays itself across the bed. You rub your eyes with a balled up fist and yawn. As your vision gets clearer, you distinguish an outline. It seems familiar and not one you want to see. You turn your head and notice your Sollus is still asleep. You start to whine as the figure gets closer. You can just barely make out who it is.

“Dada! Wakey! Dada!” You cry as you start pulling at his shirt. “W-wakey!”

The figure snatches you up and covers your mouth. You struggle against it and start kicking around at things until finally you manage to break a few things, including a lamp. The shattering of the lamp wakes Sollux and he abruptly sits up. You bite the figure as you continue to kick and scream. The figure swears and takes their hand from your mouth.

“DADA!” You screech, your voice cracking as you reach out for him with tears streaming down your face.

“KK!” He rushes to get out of bed and gets tangled in the blankets.

You look up at the figure and you see that it’s the crazy, gill-y guy that always tries to steal Sollux from you. What was his name? You can’t remember, but you had called him Eri-dumb last time when he threw you on the couch and took your Sollus. 

“What the ever-loving fuck, Eridan?” Sollux screams at him as he comes charging towards you and Eridan.

“This little brat’s got to go!” Eridan starts running with you firmly in his grasp. 

“Get your a22 back here, fi2hfuck!” Your Sollus shouts as he chases after you and Eridan.

“DADA! HEWP!” You screech.

“I’m coming KK!” You hear him respond.

Eridan takes you into the lab. Dave is the only one left in there now. He stares at Eridan and then notices you clutched in his arms. 

“Yo, Fishdude, what are you doing with Tiny Kat?” He looks pissed as he comes towards you and Eridan, who covers your mouth before you can screech out a response.

“Wwell the twwirp’s gotta go!” Eridan replies.

“You hookfucker!” Your Sollus shouts. “Put him down NOW!”

“Wwhy wwould I do that?” 

He takes you to the platform you had tripped on the first time you were in there. He sets you on the platform keeping you there with one arm and pointing a dangerous looking object at Sollux and Dave.

“Hey, Suckerfish, what’s your deal?” Dave demands.

“This brat’s gotta get changed back. He’s ruining my matespritship!” Eridan tells them. “And he’s the lowwest filthiest blood there is!”

“It doesn’t work, fish for brains!” Dave snaps.

“Oh wwell! Then I wwont have to wworry about his future self stealing him either.”

Sollux just glares at Eridan, his eyes sparking and his glasses come off. 

You bite Eridan again, but instead of releasing you, he hits you upside the head. 

Sollux screams and the sparks turn into tangible waves that reach towards you and Eridan.

Dave attampts to make a move towards the two of you and gets knocked out by Eridan. Suddenly Eridan is floating above you and writhing in pain. You fall onto the platform and cry. You see others starting to spill into the lab. Your heartbeat pulses even faster through your veins. Kanaya gets to you first and cradles you in her arms. You cling to her and cry, noticing a scary red spilling all over you. You can practically hear your heartbeat in your ears and feel it in your throat now. You look over as you hear Eridan’s screams to find that Dave just cut Eridan in half through the waist. You screech, terrified as you recognize that as the way Eridan died in your dream. Your body goes limp as you black out from shock and anxiety. Not to mention the blood loss.

You see an older version of yourself that strokes your hair out of your face.

“You gotta wake up, Karkat.” He tells you.

You shake your head feverishly. You don’t wanna wake up and see that mess again. 

“It’s okay, by the time you do, it’ll be gone. Besides, I’m sure you scared everyone, you little shit.” He smirks. “You’re already on your way to becoming me if you keep this up.”

You cling to the older version of yourself and cry, “Thew aww go! No mow! It’s scawy thewe!” 

“Huuhhh, come on, you don’t actually have a choice. I don’t want to scare the shit out of you, but if you won’t just wake up, I will.” He warns you as he cuddles you close, rubbing his cheek on the top of your head. “Do you want to wake up sweetly where I just give you a little nibble or do you want to wake up crying your eyes out?”

“Sweetwy…” You sniffle.

“Alright, come here.” He pulls you closer, kisses your forehead, and then starts to apply pressure to your neck with his fangs.


	11. Chapter 11

You wake up and find it hard to open your eyes, like they’re sealed shut. You start to hear voices in the distance. You wonder how long you’ve been asleep. You roll onto your stomach and look around. You’re in your room and its dark with the door being shut. Unfortunately, they’ve put up the safety rails on your bed and you don’t want to try to climb out because of the fall you had last time you tried. You think about your dream and wish that you could go back and be with future you. He was really nice and cuddly and that’s all you want right now. You start to cry and it turns into gasps and hiccups. You roll onto your side and curl up in a little ball, putting your thumb in your mouth. Your crying slowly gets louder and louder until the door swings open and Sollux runs to your bed. You crawl up to the railing and stretch your arms up to him, grabbing at the air between you and him.

“Come here, KK!” Sollux takes you into his arms and hugs you close.

“Sollux, Please Be Careful, You Do Not Wish To Pull His Stitches, Do You?” Kanaya calls from the doorway.

You realize as your eyebrows scrunch together in confusion that something is tugging on your forehead. You feel the same sensation in other places and you cry harder. Sollux lays you back in your bed abruptly and pulls his hands to his chest as Kanaya comes up to you. You stand up and hold onto the railing, still crying. Kanaya caresses your cheeks. She unzips your crab patterned footie pajamas and you see lines with lines going across them.

“Waaaahhh, DADA!” You cry out, clenching your fists and rubbing at your eyes, dropping onto your bottom on the mattress.

“I can’t, KK…” Sollux replies sadly.

“Look, Little One, You Have To Be Careful. You Got A Lot Of Owies When Eridan Took You.” Kanaya caresses your owies. “They Are Called Cuts And What Makes Them Better Are Called Stitches.”

“DADA!” You screech.

“I’m here, KK!” 

He carefully and quickly zips up your pjs and nestles you in his arms. You cling to him.

“W-why? I dow wike owies!” You sniffle.

“They’ll go away. I promi2e.” 

He rubs your back and sways with you in his arms. You finally stop crying and sniffling. Sollux carries you into the bathroom and starts the water for a bath. He sets you down on the floor and you start crawling away. You make it out to your bedroom before you get caught, which isn’t that far from the bathroom. Dave stumbles as he tries not to trip over you and you hear screeching. You look up to see that he’s carrying baby Dirk, who screeched in response to the near fall. You try to crawl away before he notices you again, but you’re unsuccessful.

“Hey, Little Kat, where do you think you’re going?” 

Dave snatches you up a little too roughly and you sob as the motions pull at the things called stitches and cuts.

“Sorry, Tiny Kat, I forgot about your little battle scars.” Dave apologizes and kisses your forehead. “You weren’t gonna make little man take a bath on his own were you?”

You look up at him and he smirks. Dirk pokes your cheek and you look at him. He has teary eyes and you sniffle. You hug him and kiss his cheek and he cuddles with you as Dave carries the two of you into the bathroom where Sollux is waiting. He’s only wearing a pair of shorts and you cling to Dave, knowing that he wants to give you a bath.

“Come on, KK.” He reaches out to you.

“Noooo!” You cringe.

“I’ll get them undressed and you get them settled in.” Dave says and you look up at him sadly.

He undresses Dirk first and hands him over to Sollux who sits down with Dirk in the tub. Dave then undresses you and, cuddling you to his chest, carries you to the tub. He carefully hands you to your Sollus. Your Sollus cradles you in his arms and your lip starts to tremble as you curl into a ball. You are scared of what will happen if water touches your “battle scars.” Dirk, obviously too little to know and understand this, splashes water at you playfully. Water gets into a stitched up cut on your shin and you cry from the pain it causes. Dirk climbs up onto your Sollus’ lap and kisses the cut, grabbing one of your balled up fists and holding it in his hand. You look down at him and he looks at you with a sorry expression, hoping for forgiveness.

“KK, you have to get u2ed to the water.” Sollux says, setting you in his lap in the tub and you feel water slowly creeping towards your cuts and stitches.

“No, dada! NO!” You cry, clutching at his arms.

The water starts to come over your cuts and you try to move them out, but find that it only hurts more. Dirk hugs you timidly and puts little fistfuls of water onto your cuts. Soon they don’t hurt as much and you sniffle. Sollux sits you up in his lap with your back to his chest and you play with Dirk for awhile. Dave comes over and starts to bathe Dirk and you realize this is the part you’re actually afraid of, the soap.

“Dada, no… pweeeeaaaazze nooo!” You whine, hugging his large hand to your chest.

“KK, if we don’t clean now, it’ll hurt way wor2e later.” Sollux tells you and you sit sadly in his lap as he starts to clean you up.

The soap stings your wounds and you cry and whine through it until finally you and Dirk get rinsed off. Dave wraps you in a towel and lays you in the sink. You curl up inside the big fluffy gray towel and start to doze. You hear Sollux get out of the tub and Dirk giggling as Dave wraps him up in a towel. You feel you have had enough excitement and you are ready for sleep.

“KK, come to daddy.” 

Sollux takes you into his arms and carries you into your room. He lays you down in bed inside the towel and disappears from your vision for a moment. He comes back to you with clothes and a pull up. He puts you in the pull-up and starts to dress you in an oversized shirt of his. It comforts you to inhale the smell of it. It smells just like honey and spent matches. He lays you under the covers and tucks you in, putting up the safety rails and kissing your forehead. He repeatedly strokes your hair while leaning on the safety rail. You wonder why he isn’t taking you to bed with him. You jump as you hear strange sounds that the humans called lightning. You shake and tense as it continues.

“Rock-a-bye KK, the 2torm will 2top, and when the wind blow2, it will be whi2per 2oft. The 2harp light it make2 will 2oon come to 2tall and a2leep will be KK, lu2u2, and all.” Sollux sings to you in a whisper as he strokes your cheek and goes back to caressing your hair.

“Little dick won’t sleep. Mind if he snuggles up with Little Kat?” Dave whispers as he comes into your view with a sniffling Dirk.

“Bebe!” You yawn, stretching one hand out and grabbing at the space in front you with tired eyes.

“I gue22 that’s a ye2.” Sollux smirks.

“Gis!” You giggle sleepily as you remember hearing Dirk say it that way.

“I’ll lie him down next to little Kat and we can finally catch some rad z’s.” Dave responds.

He lays Dirk down in the bed near you and Dirk crawls up to you. You lift your arm up and let him cuddle up to you. Your rest your arm over him and both of you yawn as the storm settles down. You giggle a little and smile as you think of how your Sollus has always been right. Sollux kisses your forehead goodnight and leaves with Dave, softly closing the door behind him. You nuzzle Dirk as you both begin to fall asleep.


	12. Chapter 12

You awake to Dirk starting to squirm in your arms. Neither of you had moved much the night before. You release your arm from around Dirk and he sits up, rubbing his eyes with his tiny fists. You roll onto your stomach and tuck your knees under you towards it. Your butt sticking up and your face half buried in the fluffy pillow as you stick your thumb in your mouth and try to go back to sleep. Dirk isn’t having it, so he starts crawling on you and you let him to show that you have no intention of being up yet. He starts fussing and whining as he tries to get you up. You whine as he persists and finally he crawls away from you. You watch as he crawls to safety railing, shakes it, and starts to cry. You feel a little guilty and decide that you’ll nap later. You crawl towards him and sit down behind him, awkwardly pulling him onto your lap.

“No cwy, bebe…” You nuzzle him with your arms around him.

“Gah-gah!” He turns around in your arms and cuddles up to you.

He cries and you comfort him with nuzzling and a few pats on the head. Soon, Dave peers in through a crack between the door and the frame. He watches as you yawn and pat baby Dirk’s head. Finally, he comes in and pats you on the head. He rubs Dirk’s back and Dirk turns to find Dave there. He fusses as he turns around and sees his dad standing there.

“Dada!” Dirk whines, sniffling as Dave picks him up and kisses his cheek.

You watch as they leave. You get fussy as you realize that you don’t feel like you can get back to sleep and that you are alone now. You start crying, rubbing at your eyes furiously with balled up fists. Soon you look up to see your Sollus fast-walking into your room and stopping at your bed. You reach out for him and he takes you into his arms and cuddles you.

“I tiwed…” You whine, as he rubs your back and you rest your face on his shoulder.

“Why don’t you go back to 2leep then?” He asks.

“No… Bebe wakey and no mow sweep.” You sniffle and cry a little with the frustration of being so tired yet unable to sleep.

“Alright, 2hould I get you your cup?” He asks, referring to the sippy cup he gives you when you have a hard time falling asleep.

“mmmhhhmmm….” You respond with another sniffle.

He lays you down in your bed, tucking you in with your stuffed crab, and then leaves to go get your cup. You yawn and hug your crab close to your chest. You watch people pass by your open door. Every now and then one would peer in at you and smile as they caught you with your thumb in your mouth. Your eyes get tired as you continue to watch for your Sollus. You watch as Gamzee comes in and hovers over your bed as your eyes get heavier.

“Gamey…” You yawn.

“HonK!” Gamzee replies in a whisper.

“Na-naht Gamey…” You say as you yawn again and put your thumb back in your mouth.

“ThaT’s RigHt LitTle FucKer… Go tO slEep…” He murmurs and your eyes slam shut.

You fall asleep and dream of your future self. You giggle and reach out to him, thinking you two were going to play again like in the last dream, but he looks angry.

“Dammit Karkat! Get up now! Gamzee’s off his fucking rocker and you fell asleep?” Your future self scolds you. “Gogdammit! What the actual bonebulge shrinking fuck is wrong with you, you little grubfucking shit?”

You sit down and cry. You didn’t know Gamzee was going to be crazy, he always seem crazy to you. Your future self sighs and cradles you in his arms. You cling to him and bury your face in his chest. You’re scared now and you don’t know what to do. You’re afraid to wake up and face Gamzee, but you also don’t want to be trapped as a dreamself either…

“You’ve gotta wake up and make some noise so everyone will come and look for you okay?” Your future self instructs you. 

“Uh-huh…” You sniffle.

“Alright, let’s wake you up.” He sighs and starts to fang your shoulder.

You wake up abruptly from your dream and look around. Everything is covered in rainbows, but not the pleasant kind like in the wrigglers’ nursery. You are still in your room and your bed, but Gamzee seems to have cut you off from everyone else. The door, barely visible now, is blocked off by the dresser and surrounded by horns. You sit up in bed and hug your crab to your chest with your thumb in your mouth. You look around and watch for signs of Gamzee. You hear rustling in your closet. Your Sollus always said that there weren’t any monsters in your closet, but this instance seems to be the first one where he’s wrong. 

“HonK! hoNk HonK!” You hear Gamzee’s deep voice.

“Gamey?” You already start shaking as you call out his name. 

“Hey TheRe lIttLe mOthErfUckEr…” He says as he slowly emerges from the closet, a dark and more ominous look about him.

“Gamey, whewe’s dada?” Your voice cracks in fear as he comes closer and closer, holding some sort of bat in his hand.

“He iSn’t ComIng… MotHerFucKinG MirAclEs aRe tHouGh…. Oh yEaH TheY’rE cOmIng ReAl SoOn. HonK!” He stops right in front of your bed and places a hand on the rail. “YoU WilL FaCe ThE AlmIghTy, MeEt YoUr MaKer SoOn. DeViLblOoDs lIkE yOu HavE To gO. YoUr JudGmEnT FaLlS UpoN YoUr wIcKed LittLe ShOuLderS sOoneR than MiNe.”

You are getting really tired of all this fear and people flipping their shit. Right now you are terrified and later you will find that fear morph into anger that will lead you down the path to becoming the you that you were before the regression. You shake and tense as you wait for something to happen. You remember what your future dreamself said and you decide that it’s time to act on it. You conjure up all of your fear, frustration and sadness and start sniffling. Your eyes get watery as the tears bubble to the surface. You cry as loud as you can and as long as you can in one breath, hoping that it will be enough to catch someone’s attention.

You notice a spark of recognition in Gamzee’s eyes as you stare at each other while you cry. You cry harder and louder after regaining your breath a little bit. Soon, you hear banging on the door and voices demanding that it open. Gamzee seems to lose himself again as he hears them and starts to make a move towards harming you. You cringe and close your eyes, hoping that it will be painless and quick since he seems determined to cull you.

“DADA!” You screech as you wait for Gamzee to cull you.


	13. Chapter 13

As you notice nothing happening, you open your eyes and look to see that the dresser had been moved and Gamzee is restrained by Kanaya. Sollux dashes to your side and takes you in his arms.

“You’re too young to 2leep on your own. You’ll being 2leeping with me from now on.” Sollux clutches you to his chest as he says this to you. 

“No mow!” You whine, which turns into tears and crying. “N-n-nooo mooo-oow! No mow-ow-ow!” 

“No more what, KK?” Sollux asks, looking shocked as you glance up at him. 

“Noooo Mooow!” You sob. 

“What’2 he talking about?” Sollux asks Kanaya.

“I Cannot Be Sure, But With All That’s Happened, I would Assume That He Means All The Violence And Being Scared.” Kanaya replies.

“Wan Na-na-naht!” You cry, starting to hiccup. 

“Alright KK we’ll go night-night.” Your Sollus responds and then proceeds to carry you into his bedroom.

He changes your pull up and settles in with you, creating a nest of blankets and sheets around the two of you. He rubs your back as you start to calm down. You cuddle close to him, ensuring that his arms are around you before you dare dozing off. You can’t wait to get to your dream world and be with your future dream self. You search around your dream realm, getting increasingly scared as you run out of places to search for your older dream self. You decide to check one last place that he’s never taken you and explicitly told you to stay away from. 

You walk up to a huge, dark corridor. This place has always frightened you and you feel even less comfortable about entering a forbidden place. You creep up to the door, constantly looking behind you, and you press your hands to the handle-less door as you come up to it. It is painted black, but it burns your palms as if it were on fire and glinting with the tints of flames. You push with all of your strength and stumble through the doorway. The door springs shut behind you and you jump as it slams. There are just a few shafts of light coming in from an unknown source. 

The only things you see clearly are glowing red shapes. Three in the shape of the symbol that your clothes bear and the rest are red gashes oozing the same red in tear-droplets, like cuts that haven’t received stitches. As you tip-toe closer, you see that those gashes are on trolls that bear a resemblance to you, one being your future self. Your heart beat racing, you stop barely a foot away from the three figures suspended by your symbol emblazoned in red iron. The gashes resemble a sign your future self had worn before, he called it the “knight of blood” symbol. You realize what this means and suddenly there are flashes of blue and red light through cracks in a door near your older dream self. You creep through that door to find two figures that bear resemblance to Sollux wrapped in what looks to be red and blue electrical wires. There is no sign of Sollux though. You jump and scream as arms that glow gold wrap around your red oozes over you like running water, the feel of the hot irons shaped like your symbol bear down on your back and arms as the three Vantas dreamselves grab hold of you. You realize that the gold arms are holding you in place and you scream. Your voice cracks as you shout for help. You find yourself being shaken and you repeatedly sob for it to stop, but the figures continue to shake you.

You awaken to find yourself sobbing and shouting stop in the waking realm as your Sollus is gently rocking you back and forth in his arms. You find that it only felt like shaking in the dream realm. 

“KK, what’2 the matter?” Sollux asks, a worried look on his face as he shifts you to rest your head on his chest. “You’ve been crying for an hour!”

“No mow!” You sob. “Wan no mow!”

“No more what, KK?” 

“No no scawy!” You fang his shoulder as you cry, hoping for a way to relax. “No bye-bye!”

“KK, no one’2 going bye-bye! Daddy’2 2till here!” Sollux comforts you, stroking your hair and rubbing your horns.

“What’s the matter with Tiny Troll?” You hear Dave approaching as he says this.

“I don’t know! He think2 we’re all going to leave him.” Your Sollus says, sounding alarmed.

“Maybe you should leave him with the tots for a few days. I think he gets too much stimulation, like he’s on some kinda crazy angel dust around all of us rampaging psychos all the time. Just leave him with the wrigglers and I’ll drop Dirk off later, finally got the little dick to take his nap. He sleeps too well with Little Kat.” Dave suggests, sitting on the bed next to your Sollus. 

“Yeah, you’re probably right, but won’t it only freak him out more to be separated from us?” 

“Nah, Kanaya’s a flippin’ pimp. She won’t let anything happen and she was born to squeeze kids out all the time anyway. She’s perfect to pacify the little bitches.” Dave slowly starts to let the vulgar words come out more and you sob more because the negative impression they have on you.

“Dave, you’re doing it again.” Sollux informs him.

“Aww Fuck.” Dave mutters, but you still hear it and you sink your fangs into Sollux’s shoulder in discomfort.

“Ow, KK! You’re fanging too hard!” He says, attempting to shift you so that your fangs are out of his shoulder.

“I sowwy!” You pull away and rub furiously at your eyes.

“Dude, you okay?” Dave asks him.

“I don’t know… he 2unk in pretty deep…” Sollux replies, pulling his collar down past his shoulder to examine the damage.

You manage to climb off the bed and you run through complex until you reach a dead end. You don’t know why you led yourself this way and you regret your decision as you slump into a corner and sob until you can’t anymore, hiccups and sniffles taking over. You hear sniffing and you realize that you must be near Terezi.


	14. Chapter 14

“K4rk4t?” She asks. “1s th4t you?”

You don’t answer. You don’t want her to know you’re there.

“K4rkl3s, 1 c4n sm3ll you. Sp34k1ng of wh1ch, wh3n’s th3 l4st t1m3 you w3nt to th3 b4throom because 1t’s r34lly m3ss1ng up th3 ch3rry blood sm3ll.” 

She reaches out and takes you in her arms. You cuddle up to her knowing that you can’t get away. She carries you to her bathroom and you use the toilet and change out your pull-up the way Sollux taught you to. You wash up your hands, thankful that you don’t have stitches on them. 

“K4rkl3s, why 4r3 you 4ll th3 w4y down h3r3? Shouldn’t you b3 w1th Sollux or K4n4y4?” Terezi asks as she takes you and sets you on her bed.

“No mow…” You sniffle.

“Wh4t do3s th4t 3v3n m34n?”

“No mow bye-bye…”

“Why would 4nyon3 b3 l34v1ng?”

“No mow!” You cry in frustration.

“Alr1ght, c4lm down, sc4r3dy k4t!” She gripes.

You realize that you don’t wanna be back here as you look around. You don’t like the strange plushies that are hanging by their necks or the scary drawings on the walls. You try to climb off the bed and sneak out the door, but Vriska comes in and ends up blocking your escape. Vriska is the only troll who really scares you. You retreat towards the other side of the bed. She stares you down as you peer over the edge with red, puffy eyes. You duck behind the bed and find a niche between the bed and a giant chest. You slide into the niche, hoping that she won’t notice you.

“Why is th8t little devil hiding in your room, Pyrope?” Vriska asks Terezi.

“I found h1m outsid3 my door. He w4s b4wl1ng his 3y3s out, so I l3t h1m 1n. H3 r4n off from Sollux 1 gu3ss.” Terezi replies.

“Why didn’t you just t8ke him b8ck?” She questions.

“B3c4us3 h3 must h4v3 h4d 4 r34son for runn1ng off 1n th3 f1rst pl4c3. 1 w4s 4bout to f1nd out b3for3 you show3d up 4nd sc4r3d h1m 1nto 4 corn3r!” 

“Well sorry! I’ll gr8b the little twirp and throw him out her for interrog8ion right 8w8y.” 

Vriska’s sarcasm is biting at best as she comes around the bed and finds you curled up in the tight space between the bed and the chest. You whimper as she gets   
closer, your muscles tensing in fear as you try to avoid getting picked up and thrown. To your surprise her footsteps stop and nothing happens. She’s standing just a couple steps from you with an odd look on her face.

“Wh4t’s th3 m4tt3r, Vr1sk4?” Terezi sounds annoyed.

“D8mmit, Pyrope! Why c8n’t I just-!” Vriska groans.

“Wh4t?”

“I’m not supposed to feel b8d for this little shit! But here I 8m looking 8t him being 8ll s8d 8nd p8thetic 8nd I 8ctu8lly don’t w8nt to throw him!”

Terezi snickers as she replies, “W4y to go, K4rkl3s! You f1n4lly got b4ck 4t her!”

You wonder what she means. Vriska may scare you, but that didn’t mean you were going to do anything about it. With your knees tucked to your chest under your Sollus’ shirt, your fists tucked and crossed over your chest, and your chin resting on them, you look up at Vriska with watery eyes, waiting to see what she’ll do to you. She groans and squats down in front of you, lowering herself to your eyelevel. 

“Come here, K8rk8t.” 

It wasn’t a request, it was a command. She reaches out to you and you crawl out of the space and into her arms. She picks you up and throws you over her shoulder like Equuis would do with his towel. You kick and whine, afraid that she’ll drop you. She starts walking around the bed as you continue to freak out.

“Aaaaahhh haa! N-n-nooo!” You whine and end up crying.

You reach out to Terezi, who frowns, and she knocks Vriska on the head with her dragon cane. Vriska whirls around and glares at her.

“Wh8t the hell, Pyrope? Wh8t w8s th8t for?” Vriska snaps.

“B3 n1c3 to K4rkl3s! H3 m4y b3 4 j3rk som3t1m3s, but you’r3 only g1v1ng h1m 4 r34son to b3 1f you k33p do1ng th4t.” Terezi snaps back at her.

“Fiiiiiiiine. Ugh!” Vriska shifts you so that she’s holding you right and you grab a hold of her shirt and bury your face in her chest. “8re you two h8ppy now?”

“Y3s. 1 th1nk K4rkl3s 1s too.” Terezi smirks.

You sniffle and then yawn, your chest shuddering every now and then as your breathing evens out. You put your thumb in your mouth and your stomach growls.

“W8s th8t his stom8ch?” Vriska asks, staring at Terezi.

“Y34h, h3 prob4bly h4sn’t 34t3n in for3v3r. 1 m34n, w1th 3v3ryon3 fr34k1ng out 4nd 4ll, h3 prob4bly h4s b33n too pr3occup13d to c4r3.” 

“Hey have you guys seen-” Dave interrupts, but stops as he sees you in Vriska’s arms as she turns to face him.

“Vriska, you know you’re technically caring for a child right?” Dave asks, looking confused as he stands on the transportalizer with his arms crossed over his chest.

“Yeeeeeeees, I know! The little shit just-ugh! Take him!” Vriska groans, thrusting you at Dave.

“Why do you keep running off all the time?” Dave asks as you both transportalize to the lab, the only one close to your room and your Sollus’.

“I’m scawed!” You mumble, clinging to Dave. “No mow dada!”

“Wait, why?” Dave asks as he carries you to Sollux in his room regardless.

You look at Sollux and see flashbacks of the dream selves dressed in his colors and grabbing at you. You screech as he takes you in his arms and thrash at him, wanting him to let you go. He sets you down, confused and a little hurt that his crabby cuddler wants nothing to do with him. You run to Dave and cling to his jeans until he picks you up and rocks you into contentment, kissing the top of your head every now and then. 

“No-mow-no-mooo-ow!” You hiccup, through tears.

“What’2 wrong, KK? Did I do 2omething bad?” Sollux asks you.

You don’t respond and Dave shifts you so you can fang his shoulder. You take him up on the offer and start fanging his shoulder roughly and anxiously, clutching handfuls of fabric in your hands as you cling to him.

“He needs to spend the week with the babies. All the big, flip-your-shit trolls are scaring the shit out of him.” Dave advises your Sollux. “I’ll take him and grab Dirk on the way. They’ll both spend the week with Kanaya and the wrigglers.”

“I gue22 I can’t hug him or anything…” Sollux states listlessly. 

You watch Sollux blow you kisses and wave goodbye as Dave carries you out of the bedroom.


	15. Chapter 15

Still hiccupping, you watch the scenery change as Dave carries you into his room and picks up Dirk. Dirk cuddles up to you with a confused look on his face, but you just continue to fang Dave’s shoulder, your spit soaking into his sweatshirt and leaving it damp and darkened. After a few minutes, Dave finally walks into the wrigglers’ nursery where you are greeted by Kanaya. 

“Karkat? Sweet Baby, Come Here!” She coos to you as she gently takes you in her arms. “Ssshhh, You Poor Baby, You’re Shaking.”

It’s true. You are shaking as she sways with you in her arms hugging you close to her chest. You catch a glimpse of Dave setting a confused and fussy Dirk down amongst the wrigglers in a playpen. He comes over and goes to your eyelevel and you reach out a hand and grab his ear. He leans in and kisses your cheek before removing your hand from his ear, kissing it as well, and pulls his face back, still holding your hand. 

“Alright, you and little man are staying with Kanaya for a long time.” Dave tells you.

“uh-uh!” You protest, not wanting him to abandon you.

“It’s okay, it’s just a sleep over Tiny Kat. I’ll be by to check on you two every now and then, will that make it okay?” Dave asks.

“Mmmmm….” You whine, grabbing his finger tight in your hand.

“You’ll be okay. Kanaya will have you practically glued to her all the time.” Dave kisses your cheek and pulls away. “Time for me to Ollie out for awhile. Bye-bye, Tiny tyke.”

Dave waves to you before walking out. You look up at Kanaya in full on pout mode. She delicately brushes strands of your hair out of your face and rubs the tip of her nose to yours. She sits down in a strange chair that rocks both of you back and forth. She rubs circles on your back with the tips of her nails and you rest your cheek on her chest. 

“Sweet baby, don’t you cry. E’erything will be alright. Come to mama and stay all night. I’ll keep you safe here in my arms. Just listen to my heart as its beat chases your fears away. I’ll dry your tears as the sun breaks on a new day…” Kanaya sings to you as you shudder, trying to regain a normal breathing pattern. “Don’t hide from me and you will see the world isn’t as mean as it seems. Just close your eyes and find your sweet dreams. I’ll be here with you in my arms as you wake. I’ll steal your bad dreams and lock them away where they can’t escape…”

You see Dirk fussing as the wrigglers try to comfort him and he reaches for you. You reach out to him as well, grabbing at the space between you.

“Diwk!” You sniffle, pulling away from Kanaya and pointing at him.

“Of Course, Sweet Angel. I’ll Let You Play. Shall I Sit With You In My Lap As You Do?” Kanaya asks, getting up and walking over to the playpen.

“Mmmmhhmmm.” You sniff.

She sits down in the playpen, careful not to squish any of the wrigglers, and sets you in her lap with your back to her stomach. You reach out to Dirk and he crawls onto Kanaya’s lap with her help and you two cuddle as the wrigglers crawl on both of you and curl up for a nap in your laps.

“I’m Glad You Are Content, Karkat.” She nuzzles you and you have a feeling that you might enjoy your week here.


	16. Chapter 16

The week goes by quickly. You play with Dirk and the wrigglers. You get a few surprise presents from Dave and Sollux throughout the week as well. You get a giant shirt that looks like Dave’s and smells like him too, a shirt that fits you perfectly with Sollux’s sign on it, one of Sollux’s actual shirts, and an over-sized sweater with your symbol on it so that you don’t have to wear leggings or pants because you don’t like to fuss with them and they frustrate you with their weird zippers and buttons and resistant elastics.

It’s the last day of the week they planned for you to stay with Kanaya. You and Dirk are building a little house out of stuffed animals for the wrigglers to climb on and go in. You giggle and so does Dirk as you watch the little Kankri wriggler crawl to the top and start squeaking as he realizes that it’s pretty far from the ground. You stretch out your hand and let him crawl onto you and then down into your lap until he finally reaches the floor.

“Angel, You Have A Visitor…” Kanaya kisses your cheek as she squats down next to you.

“Mama!” You reach for her and giggle as she blows kisses on your cheek.

“Hey, KK…” You see your Sollux slowly coming forward. 

You reach out to him, practically falling out of Kanaya’s arms in the process, and call, “Daddee!” 

Kanaya sets you down and Sollux squats with his arms outstretched to you with a big smile. You run to him and giggle as he hugs and nuzzles you. You give him kisses and wrap your arms around his neck, burying your face in it. He kisses you and strokes your hair as he sways with you in his arms. You look up at his face as you hear him sniffle and see that he’s crying.

“Why cwy, daddee?” You ask, wide-eyed and curious.

“Daddy’2 really happy two 2ee you!” He kisses your cheeks and then your forehead.

“We Worked A Lot With His Speech, So He Has Improved Some.” Kanaya says as she picks up Dirk and brings him over so that he doesn’t feel left out.

“Whewe’s Daddee?” You ask, referring to Dave who you think of as another father.

“He’2 coming 2oon.” Sollux assures you.

You smile big as you see him walk through the door behind your Sollus.

“Daddee!” You call and he stops to give you kisses.

“Dada!” Dirk calls.

“Hey, little man! Did you have fun with Tiny Kat?” Dave takes Dirk into his arms, lifts him up like he might toss him up in the air and then hugs him to his chest.

“Gis!” He giggles, wrapping his arms around Dave’s neck.

“We have a big surprise for you, KK.” Sollux draws your attention back to him.

You tilt your head quizzically, wondering what surprise they could have for you.

“Yeah, Little Kat, it’s a big day for you if it all works out.” Dave answers you.

“You wanna go get it?” Sollux asks you.

“Uh-huh!” You smile, putting your thumb in your mouth.


	17. Chapter 17

He carries you, with Dave, Dirk, Kanaya, to the lab where everything’s decorated to look like the wrigglers’ nursery. You look at everything with everyone gathered around. You see the monitors lit up with images that look like versions of you, one of them being the older dream self that you play with in your dreams. 

“Daddee! Lookee!” You say, pointing at the images.

“Yeah tho2e are picture2 of you, KK.” Sollux tells you.

“Weawwy?” You ask.

“Yep. They’re all you.”

“What doin’?” You ask, more than a little scared as he sets you on the platform.

“Thii2 ii2 your big 2urprii2e, KK. You have to 2tand right there to get it.” He tells you.

“I’m not sure about this, Sol.” Dave admits as he holds onto Dirk, who obviously wants to join you. “Rose is good with that stuff and all, but it still seems really risky.”

“He’ll be fine, Dave.” Sollux says.

You run off the platform and into the bathroom, realizing you really have to go. Before you get the chance to, Sollux grabs you and cuddles you to his chest, trying to soothe you unnecessarily since he doesn’t realize that you had to go, not that you were running away.

“Mmmm…” You whine, pushing him away.

“It’2 okay, KK. Don’t be 2cared.” He soothes you.

“NO! Potty! Daddee, I go potty!” You whine, trying to hold it in.

“Oh, Daddy’2 2orry!” He quickly sets you down, but it’s too late because you couldn’t hold it in.

“Eeeeeh!” You cry, upset that you had an accident when you were about to go all by yourself for the first time.

You reach out to Sollux, your pull-up soiled, and cry. He takes you in his arms and soothes you a little as he grabs a pull-up and helps you onto the potty to get cleaned up. Dave comes in a moment later, you’re still crying and trying not to rub your eyes as Sollux helps you into the fresh pull-up.

“What happened?” Dave asks, leaning on the door frame with his arms crossed over his chest, frowning all the while.

“KK came into the bathroom to go potty and 2ince we thought he wa2 ju2t hiding and I picked him up before he could go, he had an accident and he’2 really up2et about it.” Sollux explains as he picks you up and bounces you in his arms.

“Poor Little Kat! Did daddy make you have an accident?” Dave coos at you in his style and takes you into his arms.

“MMmmhhhmmm…” You sniffle, starting to hiccup a little.

“You know what might make you feel better?” Dave asks with his face in your hair as he rubs your back and kisses your horns.

“Hmm?” You ask, looking up at him and rubbing your eyes.

“Your surprise. You wanna go see what it is?” 

“Mmmmhmmm…” You reply, wrapping one arm around part of his neck and slipping your thumb into your mouth as you rest your head on his shoulder.

He carries you back into the lab and you get blocked from the platform by Kanaya. You bury your face in Dave’s chest as she starts fussing over you.

“What Happened?” She asks, stroking your hair.

“Long story short, he actually went in there to go potty and Sollux stopped him since we all thought he was hiding and he had an accident which made him cry.” Dave answers.

“Mama!” You murmur, reaching out to her and she takes you in her arms.

“Sshh, Baby, It’s Alright. We Know It Was Just An Accident.” She showers you in kisses and hugs you gently, but firmly to her chest. “Do You Want Your Surprise?”

“Uh-huh…” You answer.

She sets you down on the platform and you stand there, worry painted on your face, waiting for the surprise. Machines whir and power up, shaking the platform you’re standing on, and you fall on your butt off the platform. A bolt of sparks strike the platform and you start crying as some of them hit you after rebounding off of it. The machines come to a sudden stop, your two dads and mom run to you and crowd around you. You go to Dave and cling to him.

“It seems like the machines were not going to give the desired outcome and Karkat’s fall was more of a stroke of luck than a lack of balance.” Rose says as she frowns and Jade runs over to you.

“Karkat! Are you okay?” She asks you, shrinking to your eyelevel.

You shake your head and reach out to her, starting to cry, she seems the most scared for you and less shocked than the others, which means she’ll provide the response that you desire. She cradles you to her chest, hugging you tightly and gently with her face buried in your hair.

“No suw-pwiz-es!” You sob. 

You really don’t want surprises if they can hurt.


	18. Chapter 18

= =>

You are now two sweeps old. It is past your wriggling day and everyone is still talking about how to change you back, but you don’t understand why that would need to happen. You thought you were exactly how you were supposed to be, but they seem to disagree. You are just waking up, your first night where you haven’t had an accident. Feeling very proud, you wake your Sollus.

“Daddee! Wakey!” You giggle as you squirm in his arms.

He slowly starts to move and rub his eyes with his hands, releasing his hold on you. He had been sleeping with you on his chest or pulled up against it every night since the incidents with Eridan and Gamzee occurred. He smiles at you and ruffles your hair as you sit on his stomach with your legs straddled over his sides.

“Daddee!” You say, trying to get his focus.

“What is it, KK?” He yawns as you put your hands on his lower rib cage and shake him as much as you can.

“I didn’t need potty!” You exclaim, giggling as he tickles you to get you to stop shaking him.

“KK! That’s great! You are getting so big!” 

Sollux sits up and hugs you. You wrap your arms around his neck and bury your face in it. He kisses your horns and rubs your back before pulling you off. He sets you on the bed and starts to get out of it. You start to pout as he stretches and then turns to you.

“What’s the matter, Kitty Kat?” He rubs his nose on yours as he asks this.

“Whewe goin’?” You asked, confusion and irritation clear in your voice.

“Daddy ha2 to go potty.” He chuckles and kisses your cheek before turning and slipping out of the bedroom to go to the bathroom down the hall.

You sit on the bed and wait for Sollux to come, but then you hear a loud hissing sound like one you heard when you were watching Rose and Dave mess with wires, but this one is a lot louder. You look around, but you can’t find anything in the room that could be the source. Curious, you decide to investigate, climbing off the bed and pulling your oversized Dave-shirt down. You grab your crab off the floor next to the bed, walk out of the bedroom and down the hall to the lab. You find Dave and Rose at work again, but this time there’s troll who looks like an older version of the wriggler named Nepeta. You stay where you are, peering in around the door jamb. You wonder what just happened because you don’t remember seeing this older Nepeta before and there must have been some reason for that weird noise.

“Lil’ Kat, what are you doing? Where’s Sollux?” You hadn’t realized that Dave spotted you until he said this.

“Daddee weft to potty…” You answer in a quiet voice as he approaches you.

“Alright, come here.” 

He reaches out to you and you reach up to him before he takes you into his arms.

“Did daddy already take you to go potty this morning?” Dave asks as he walks away from the lab with you.

“No. I didn’t need potty wast naght!” You answer.

“All right, Kitty Kat! That’s great!” He praises you. “Maybe you should help Dirk get better at it. He’s having a hard time.”

“Otay.” You giggle.

“Did he wander off again?” Sollux asks as he catches up with the two of you.

“Yep. I’ve got some good news. I’ll tell you about it after we get the tots to Kanaya.” Dave replies, continuing towards Dirk’s room.

He stops outside Dirk’s door, he only just got his own room since he recently turned 2 years old. He slowly opens the door and peers in, you join him. You see that   
Dirk is sitting up in bed, the safety rails up, rubbing his eyes and sniffling. You can tell he isn’t adjusting well to sleeping on his own.

“Daddee, why Diwk sad?” You whisper.

“He’s not used to sleeping alone, Tiny Kat, but he needs to.” Dave answers. “He might have had an accident too.”

“I wanna giwe him hugs, Daddee!” You say, looking up at him.

“Let’s go get him. You wanna help me clean him so you two can go play with the kids?”

“Yeah!” 

Dave carries you into Dirk’s room and picks him up. He cuddles up to you and you let him hold your crab. Dave chuckles as you crinkle your nose, realizing that Dirk definitely had an accident as the smell assaults it. He carries the two of you to your bathroom down the hall, Sollux in tow the entire time. Dave sets you down on the counter and you look at Sollux.

“Daddee, can I?” You ask, referring to the big jump you’re thinking of making from the counter to the floor.

“Well…” Sollux pauses, a conflicted look on his face.

“No. That’s not safe.” Dave answers for him, setting Dirk on his feet in front of the tub.

“Dave’2 right, it’2 not 2afe for you to jump from there.” Sollux looks relieved as he agrees. “How about I help you fake jump?”

“Otay!” 

You reach your arms out to him and he places his hands on your waist. He lets you do most of the motion to jump, but supports your weight to ensure that you don’t   
get hurt. Dave starts undressing Dirk from his footie pajamas and slipping him out of the soiled pull up. He already started the bath water and starts to lift Dirk into the tub.

“Daddee! Me too?” You reach out to Dave as you ask.

“Why not?” He responds, starting to slip his over-sized tee off of you.

He gets you undressed and lets you and Dirk play in the tub for awhile while he steps out to talk to your Sollus. You splash around in the water as you try to catch the bubbles and make them stick to your hands. Dirk pulls back as you continuously splash water in the process.

“Kawkat! No spwash!” Dirk pouts.

“Sowwy!” You apologize and give him a hug, which he accepts.

“I cowd!” Dirk whines after a few more minutes as he shivers. 

The bath water wasn’t very warm to begin with and the fact that both of you have sensitive skin wouldn’t allow the water to be much warmer than it was when you first got in. You cuddle up to Dirk and he sits in your lap shaking a little from the chilly air in the bathroom.

“Daddee!” You call. “Daaaaddeee!”

“What, baby?” Dave pokes his head in as he inquires what you’re wanting.

“It’s cowd. Wanna get out!” 

You are starting to shiver yourself and you feel a tickle in your nose a moment later, which makes you sneeze like a kitten as you turn your head away from Dirk.

“Ewie!” You whine.

“I’m comin’ Tiny Kat.” Dave says as he re-enters the bathroom.

Sollux comes in too and they wash both of you up and soon have you wrapped in a big, fluffy, gray towel. Sollux takes you in his arms and carries you to your room and you watch over his shoulder as Dave carries Dirk off. Sollux dresses you in your purposely oversized sweater and a pull up for safe measures, even though he’s confident that you don’t need it.

“Daddee, what you were talkin’ bout?” You ask. 

You still aren’t good with your words, but Kanaya is teaching you to speak properly and so far it’s working.

“We were talking about your 2urpri2e.” Sollux tells you.

You eyes widen and your eyebrows scrunch together, a look that would normally appear if someone were accusing you of having done something when you couldn’t have. You remember all the times they’ve tried to surprise you, each one a disaster that ended with you crying, running away, and hiding afterwards. 

“Daddee, Noooo!” You screech, jumping down from the bed and running away to hide in the nursery. 

Sollux was caught off guard by your reaction and hadn’t had time to react until you were already in the nursery. You run up to Kanaya and grab onto her skirts crying already.

“Karkat? What Ever Is The Matter, Angel?” She releases your hands from her skirt and takes you into her arms.

“Daa-da-daddee-ee-eee say they suwpwize!” You cry, clinging to her.

“Why Does This Make You Cry, Kitten?” She strokes your bangs out of your eyes and wipes your tears with her fingers.

“Suwpwizes awways bad!” 

“Always? But Dirk sleeping with you during the storm was a surprise and it wasn’t bad. Also, your sleepover with me was a surprise and wasn’t bad either.” She reminds you.

“I dohn wahn it!” You hiccup.

“Sweet Baby, It’s Alright. I Promise This One Will Be Good.” 

“Kanaya? Is he in here?” Dave calls, out of breath as he starts to enter with Dirk in his arms and Sollux beside him.

“Yes, He’s Right Here.” She replies, swaying with you in her arms while she strokes your hair.

“KK, how many time2 have I told you not to run off?” Sollux gently scolds you.

“But Mama…” You mumble looking at him with teary eyes.

“Oh Sollux, Stop Scolding The Poor Baby! You Know He’s Had Bad Times With Some Of Our Surprises Before.” She defends you, kissing your forehead.

“I know…” Sollux sighs, leaning against the door jamb. 

“Hey, Kit Kat, what’s the problem?” Dave asks.

Dave sets Dirk down in the play area with the troll toddlers, all of the wrigglers have gotten pretty big in just two years. He comes over to you and reaches out for you but you cling to Kanaya since your Sollus said that Dave was also behind the surprise.

“No! No Suwpwize!” You pout, sniffling.

“Why not, baby?” He asks, taking your hand in his and kissing it.

“They’we scawy!” 

“I promise this one won’t be. Do you wanna wait till after your nap?” He asks.

“Mmmhmm…” 

“Can daddy take you from Mama for a minute?” He requests.

You reach out to him and he takes you in his arms. You wrap your arms around his neck and kiss his cheek.

“I wuv you most, daddee…” You murmur into his neck.

“I love you too, Karkat.” He whispers into your ear as he squeezes you a little and kisses your cheek.

You pull away and reach out to your Sollus. He takes you in his arms and you wrap your arms around his neck and kiss his cheek like you did with Dave.

“I wuv you mostest, daddee!” You murmur into Sollux’s neck.

“You know daddy love2 you the mo2t, don’t you Karkat?” He whispers as he nuzzles your cheek and kisses you forehead, holding you tight.

“Yes!” You giggle.

“Are you ready to 2pend the day with Mama?” He asks you.

“Ya.” You reply, giving him another kiss before he hands you back to Kanaya.

Dave and Sollux leave you and Dirk with Kanaya. She makes breakfast for all of you and then lets you play. You and Dirk play with the toddlers, teaching them how to build things with their toys and playing games. Then, Kanaya sets you all up at the table for lunch. Shortly after that, she starts laying you all down for naps. Aradia is the first to be tucked in, followed by Tavros, Kankri, Feferi, Eridan and finally Equuis before she gets to Dirk and then you. She lays you and Dirk down together since you both tend to cuddle. After only a couple of minutes, you are starting to drift off but are prevented from falling asleep by fussing Tavros.

“Tavros, Sweetheart, What’s The Matter?” You hear Kanaya whisper, but he doesn’t answer, he just cries.

“Mama…” you murmur sleepily, rubbing your eyes.

“What, Kitten?” She asks you, coming over with Tavros in her arms and stroking you bangs fromyour eyes.

“Baby can sweep hewe.” You offer, grabbing his hand in yours.

“Does That Sound Okay, Sweet Baby?” She kisses his cheek as she asks.

He nods and she lays him down next to you and you are now in the middle, lying on your back with Tavros to your right and Dirk to your left.

“Goodnight, Angel.” She whispers and turns the last light off before slipping out of the nursery.


	19. Chapter 19

You fall asleep easily and dream of your older self.

“Hey, Mini-me. So are you ready for the surprise?” He asks like he already knows as you take his hand both of yours before walking into the streets of what you’ve come to know as Derse. 

“Whats the suwpwize?” You ask, looking up at him.

“You’re going to be me.” He offers the spoiler.

“What that mean?” You ask, looking rather confused.

“It means that you’re going to suddenly be older and know more.” He responds.

“But… Daddee… and Mama?” You ask…

“They’ll still be there, but they won’t be Mom and Dad or Lusus or Lusi.” He answers.

“They be diffwent?” You ask.

“Not really, but they’ll treat you like they treat each other because you’re older.” 

“But… I dun know how be owder…” You tell him.

“You’ll just know when it happens. In fact, it’s happening right now. Look at the clouds.”

He points up at the sky and you see yourself being carried like a baby by Sollux and laid on the platform in the lab.

“NO! Wakey! Pweeezze!” You beg your older self as you pull on his hand.

“No because this is supposed to happen. I wasn’t supposed to become you. You are supposed to become me though.” He answers.

You watch as the funny jagged light consumes you in the cloud and then suddenly you’re awake and Derse has disappeared. You look around the lab under your blanket and are started to find everyone staring at you. You don’t remember anything.

“What the fuck am I doing in here?” You ask looking around with a perplexed expression. “Why are you all in here? Did I sleep walk or some shit?”

“You know, Jade, I think I was hoping he would forget how to cuss…” John comments, not really meaning for you to hear.

“Why would I forget? What’s going on?” You demand, starting to get frustrated.

“KK, do you remember the la2t 2 year2?” Sollux asks.

You try to think back, but you only get hazy images. You wonder what that’s all about as you reply, “No… Not really…”

“Do you even re8lize that you’re not totally angry and shouty?” Vriska asks.

“Am I supposed to be?” You ask, even more confused.

“Holy shit, it’s a fucking miracle. Freaky ass clown dude, your higher power is at work here. Praise whatever fucked up clown god you worship.” Dave commends as he   
smirks. “You really don’t remember any of that?”

“Any of what, Dave?” You question.

“You did not just call me Dave.” He looks surprised as he stares at you through his sunglasses.

“Why wouldn’t I?” 

“Because you usually can’t stand me and call me an insufferable prick with a loaded god complex.” He laughs.

“I don’t know why I would be like that… I thought I…” You pause, realizing that you are still surrounded by a ton of people. “Can you all just like, disappear so that I can get my bearings…”

Everyone shrugs and starts walking out of their own accord, everyone except Kanaya, Dave and Sollux.

“Why are you still here?” you demand.

“I’m here cause I wanna watch you doing a pirouette off the fucking handle and their here to help you calm your tits afterwards.” Dave answers for the collective.

“Why would I-” You pause as you suddenly realize why. You’re completely nude aside from your blanket barely concealing your biology. This has gotten really fucking awkward. “Son of a whore! All of you out. I will come get you when I feel like talking.”

They obey with Kanaya stopping to hand you a pile of clothes that consist of your usual outfit and kissing your cheek on her way out. You close the door with the blanket wrapped around you. You quickly change into the spare clothes and start to try and piece together what happened.


	20. Chapter 20

You weren’t angry and shouting, which is what they expected. You remember feeling scared sometimes, but mostly happy. You noticed a lot of scars that you’re sure you didn’t have before the last two years and you wonder what that’s all about. You decide to track down Kanaya, Dave and Sollux for answers. You find them in the living room with a giant stack of video tapes. It’s just the three of them.

“You like movies right, Karkat?” Dave asks, a smug smirk on his face.

“Yeah, I guess.” You answer hesistantly. “What the fuck happened in the last two years? Why don’t I remember any of it?”

“You’re about to find out.” Sollux grimaces and then glares at Dave.

“Calm your tits, Captor.” Dave chuckles. “He’ll be fine.”

“Maybe I like the way he’2 turned out after all of that. Maybe I don’t wanna be tempted to repeat the pa2t two year2 to keep him thi2 way?” Sollux responds.

“Like seeing this poorly recorded home videos of the last two years are going to do anything to him other than embarrass him.” Dave starts to put in the first video tape.

“Yeah, but he became in a22hole the fir2t time becau2e wa2 embarra22ed of hi2 blood color, now you’re ju2t giving him another in2ecurity.” Sollux argues.

“Come, Kitten, sit with me.” Kanaya takes your hand from her position on the couch and pulls you onto her lap.

“Why does that nickname sound so familiar?” You ask.

“Because it’s one that I’ve called you in the past two years quite frequently.” She answers. 

“Shh, we are about to watch the newest chronicles of a baby Karkat.” Dave quiets you all with this comment and you immediately flush crimson.

You watch as you see your younger self running and hiding in the lab and how they manage to coax you out from hiding. You make it through all of the videos, countless hours of filming showing all the big events of the last two years and you almost die of embarrassment. As the last video ends, you cringe.

“NOPE.” You say shakily, getting up and running off to your room, the one by Terezi’s.

You have no idea how to feel outside of embarrassed. You just saw the weakest part of yourself, but you can’t summon any self-loathing. You feel oddly okay with what you saw, outside of the embarrassment. You just can’t get away from that feeling. You curl up with your back to your door, hugging your pillow with the sign for cancer on it. You are so tired and confused. As you start to nod off, you hear someone come in.

“Karkat, are you okay?” It’s Dave’s voice.

“I don’t know…” You murmur into the pillow.

“Christ, come here.” He commands. 

You don’t move.

“Fine. Then I’ll just have to do this.” He says and then, lying down next to you, pulls you on top of him.

“Dave, I think…”

“Holy shit, he thinks!” Dave teasingly mocks you.

“Shut up, fuckass and listen!” You complain. “Ugh… I think I love you…”

“You think or you know?” He whispers, playing with your hair.

You think for only a moment and say, “I know I love you…”

“That’s what I was waiting for…” He murmurs and then kisses you deeply and passionately.

You fall asleep in Dave’s arms, but instead of being a child who needs love and guidance, you’re an adult who needs love and support. Not entirely different, but enough to make a difference. Oddly, as you fade into sleep, you realize you don't love him that way. But what other way is there?


	21. Chapter 21

You wake up, sweaty and feeling drained as you shift in bed. You could have sworn Dave was in your bed last night, but there’s no trace. That’s when you spot it, his tee. You slip through the shower and slip it on with your gray skinny jeans, pulling your knight of blood hoodie on over it. As you’re brushing your teeth in the bathroom, you hear crying and it pulls at your heart like never before, literally because you never let your guard down before. You finish brushing your teeth and leave your bathroom to check out where the crying is coming from. You find Dave holding Dirk, who’s the source of the crying.

“See, little man? He’s right there.” Dave soothes, pointing to you.

“Dat’s not hem!” Dirk sobs as he looks at you.

“What’s going on?” You ask, confused and upset by the crying child.

“Dirk was expecting to see the little version of you. Remember in the tapes last night?” Dave answers.

It comes back to you as you sit down on the bed next to them, “Yeah… I do.”

“I wan Kawkat!” Dirk sobs, uttering one the most heart wrenching cries ever heard.

“Hey, buddy, I am Karkat!” You take him in your arms. “Don’t cry, baby…”

You cuddle him, rocking back and forth a little as you kiss his cheek. He looks up at you, recognizing that the little your had said ‘don’t cry baby’ to him as well. He clings to you and tightens his grip, determined for you to not disappear again, as he cries until he has it out of his system. You hold him so that he can wrap his arms around your neck and bury his face in it as well. He does exactly that and you just continue to rock him back and forth.

“Since when did I become good with kids?” You ask, having a strong feeling that this behavior isn’t like you.

“Since what Kanaya calls your ‘regression.’ She and Sollux think that since they had the chance to raise you to be a version of your that is more emotionally open and all that jazz that you’re better off and more comfortable.” He answers.

“But why kids? I used to hate them. I think…” You start to question whether you really hated kids before then or if you just acted like you did so no one would know you liked them.

“Well, you were a kid and you formed a bond with little man during the last two years. You were much sweeter as child then than you had been before that crazy reverse time psych out.”

You remain silent as you think this over. You really seem to like kids now, especially Dirk. You hated Dave before, but that seems to have changed too. Your world seems backwards and you’re totally okay with that. You decide that there’s so much relief in being this way that you’re going to maintain it. You are in quite a bind though as you remember that you and John were an item before the regression and you realize you have no idea how your relationships with Kanaya and Sollux stand since they took on a totally different role with you.

“What’re you thinkin’?” Dave asks as he watches you shake your head to get out of a haze of thoughts and questions.

“I think that I have a lot of… stuff to sort out. I mean, what even happens with John? What about what’s developed between us? What even happens between Sollux, Kanaya and me? There’s way too many complications. And why do I feel a bulge-shrinking affection for Vriska?” You voice your thoughts as confusion shows through on your face. “Wait, why do I feel terrified and rampagingly murderous towards Gamzee and Eridan?”

“Sollux is still being parental with you so he didn’t show you the tapes that explain those three. Though, secretly I think that the one that involves Vriska is more of a mystery than something he doesn’t want you to see. But I totally get why he wants to hide the Gamzee and Eridan tapes from you.”

“Well, let’s go see if we can get them then.”

“Alright, but it’s your funeral. There’s no way he’s going to show them to you and he has those things under lock down and hidden away.”

You carry Dirk since he refuses to let go of you and find Sollux in the living room.

“Hey, Sol, can I see the other tapes?” You ask, sitting down next to him on the couch.

“What other tapes?” He asks.

“Don’t pretend like you don’t know what he’s talking about. I told him about the tapes.” Dave answers for you.

“You did what?” Sollux is outraged as hears this.

“I told him. He has a right to know and what else was I supposed to say when he asked about how he got all of the scars on his body?” Dave argues.

“Jegu2 fuck. Fine. Ruin what little good we did.” Sollux gripes as he walks off to retrieve the tapes.

He comes back in puts in the first of two tapes. You are amazed at how much they caught on camera, but also not because you know that Sollux had set up cameras everywhere for security purposes, but now it’s just because people want to record everything since it’s suspected that the meteor will crash after some length of time and when it gets ready to the gang plans to be watching all these tapes. Watching their memories in third person.

You the tape as it rolls onto the screen: (The italics are showing you what you already read that Karkat is now watching so you can skip it if you want)

_“What wa2 thi2 one about?” He asks as he situates you on his chest._

_“Dada, you all went bye-bye fow ewer.” You cry a little bit as you think of seeing everyone dead. “Me too…”_

_“22222hhh, it wa2 ju2t a dream. I’m right here.” Sollux promises. “Hu2h little KK don’t 2queak a peep. Clo2e your eye2 and go to 2leep. Daddy’2 gonna be here for every 2weep. If you find your2elf alone, ju2t open your eye2. All tho2e 2illy dream2 are ju2t white lie2. You’ll never have to hear any goodbye2. I’ll alway2 be there to lull your crie2. 2leep little KK and feel 2afe when you wake and into my arms it’2 you I will take. Hu2h little KK and feel 2afe when you wake…”_

_Your Sollus isn’t very good with lullabies, but you like it anyway. You fall asleep in his arms and dream of much more pleasant things. There are no more bodies or scary creatures. It’s just you and Sollus going about your favorite activities. You awaken as light creeps into Sollus’ room and drunkenly splays itself across the bed. You rub your eyes with a balled up fist and yawn. As your vision gets clearer, you distinguish an outline. It seems familiar and not one you want to see. You turn your head and notice your Sollus is still asleep. You start to whine as the figure gets closer. You can just barely make out who it is._

_“Dada! Wakey! Dada!” You cry as you start pulling at his shirt. “W-wakey!”_

_The figure snatches you up and covers your mouth. You struggle against it and start kicking around at things until finally you manage to break a few things, including a lamp. The shattering of the lamp wakes Sollux and he abruptly sits up. You bite the figure as you continue to kick and scream. The figure swears and takes their hand from your mouth._

_“DADA!” You screech, your voice cracking as you reach out for him with tears streaming down your face._

_“KK!” He rushes to get out of bed and gets tangled in the blankets._

_You look up at the figure and you see that it’s the crazy, gill-y guy that always tries to steal Sollux from you. What was his name? You can’t remember, but you had called him Eri-dumb last time when he threw you on the couch and took your Sollus._

_“What the ever-loving fuck, Eridan?” Sollux screams at him as he comes charging towards you and Eridan._

_“This little brat’s got to go!” Eridan starts running with you firmly in his grasp._

_“Get your a22 back here, fi2hfuck!” Your Sollus shouts as he chases after you and Eridan._

_“DADA! HEWP!” You screech._

_“I’m coming KK!” You hear him respond._

_Eridan takes you into the lab. Dave is the only one left in there now. He stares at Eridan and then notices you clutched in his arms._

_“Yo, Fishdude, what are you doing with Tiny Kat?” He looks pissed as he comes towards you and Eridan, who covers your mouth before you can screech out a response._

_“Wwell the twwirp’s gotta go!” Eridan replies._

_“You hookfucker!” Your Sollus shouts. “Put him down NOW!”_

_“Wwhy wwould I do that?”_

_He takes you to the platform you had tripped on the first time you were in there. He sets you on the platform keeping you there with one arm and pointing a dangerous looking object at Sollux and Dave._

_“Hey, Suckerfish, what’s your deal?” Dave demands._

_“This brat’s gotta get changed back. He’s ruining my matespritship!” Eridan tells them. “And he’s the lowwest filthiest blood there is!”_

_“It doesn’t work, fish for brains!” Dave snaps._

_“Oh wwell! Then I wwont have to wworry about his future self stealing him either.”_

_Sollux just glares at Eridan, his eyes sparking and his glasses come off._

_“You’re annoying a2 fuck you dumba22!” Sollux tells him._

_You bite Eridan again, but instead of releasing you, he hits you upside the head._

_“AAAAAAAHHHHH!” Sollux screams and the sparks turn into tangible waves that reach towards you and Eridan._

_Dave attampts to make a move towards the two of you and gets knocked out by Eridan. Suddenly Eridan is floating above you and writhing in pain. You fall onto the platform and cry. You see others starting to spill into the lab. Your heartbeat pulses even faster through your veins. Kanaya gets to you first and cradles you in her arms. You cling to her and cry, noticing a scary red spilling all over you. You can practically hear your heartbeat in your ears and feel it in your throat now. You look over as you hear Eridan’s screams to find that Dave just cut Eridan in half through the waist. You screech, terrified as you recognize that as the way Eridan died in your dream. Your body goes limp as you black out from shock and anxiety. Not to mention the blood loss._

_You wake up and find it hard to open your eyes, like they’re sealed shut.  You start to hear voices in the distance. You wonder how long you’ve been asleep. You roll onto your stomach and look around. You’re in your room and its dark with the door being shut. Unfortunately, they’ve put up the safety rails on your bed and you don’t want to try to climb out because of the fall you had last time you tried. You think about your dream and wish that you could go back and be with future you. He was really nice and cuddly and that’s all you want right now.  You start to cry and it turns into gasps and hiccups. You roll onto your side and curl up in a little ball, putting your thumb in your mouth. Your crying slowly gets louder and louder until the door swings open and Sollux runs to your bed. You crawl up to the railing and stretch your arms up to him, grabbing at the air between you and him._

_“Come here, KK!” Sollux takes you into his arms and hugs you close._

_“Sollux, Please Be Careful, You Do Not Wish To Pull His Stitches, Do You?” Kanaya calls from the doorway._

_You realize as your eyebrows scrunch together in confusion that something is tugging on your forehead. You feel the same sensation in other places and you cry harder. Sollux lays you back in your bed abruptly and pulls his hands to his chest as Kanaya comes up to you. You stand up and hold onto the railing, still crying. Kanaya caresses your cheeks. She unzips your crab patterned footie pajamas and you see lines with lines going across them._

_“Waaaahhh, DADA!” You cry out, clenching your fists and rubbing at your eyes, dropping onto your bottom on the mattress._

_“I can’t, KK…” Sollux replies sadly._

_“Look, Little One, You Have To Be Careful. You Got A Lot Of Owies When Eridan Took You.” Kanaya caresses your owies. “They Are Called Cuts And What Makes Them Better Are Called Stitches.”_

_“DADA!” You screech._

_“I’m here, KK!”_

_He carefully and quickly zips up your pjs and nestles you in his arms. You cling to him._

_“W-why? I dow wike owies!” You sniffle._

_“They’ll go away. I promi2e.”_

The tape cuts out and the screen goes black. You notice Sollux’s body is tense and he’s visibly upset after watching this. You feel the memory flood back to you and you hand Dirk to Dave, who nods and carries Dirk off to get breakfast. You cuddle up to Sollux as if you were still the little version of yourself at the end of the video. You never would’ve done anything like this if it weren’t for him. A lot of what you do now is thanks to him. He fixed you.


	22. Chapter 22

“Don’t cry daddy.” You say in quiet voice that’s not quite a whisper.

“So you’re not the old Karkat who would’ve burned the tape and told me to fuck off?” He asks, wrapping his arms around you.

“Huh-uh. I’m your little Karkat, daddy.” You nuzzle him. “Can I see the other one too?”

“Only if you can promise you’ll still be like this after you see it.” He negotiates.

“okay.”

He puts in the other tape.

_You watch as they leave. You get fussy as you realize that you don’t feel like you can get back to sleep and that you are alone now. You start crying, rubbing at your eyes furiously with balled up fists. Soon you look up to see your Sollus fast-walking into your room and stopping at your bed. You reach out for him and he takes you into his arms and cuddles you._

_“I tiwed…” You whine, as he rubs your back and you rest your face on his shoulder._

_“Why don’t you go back to 2leep then?” He asks._

_“No… Bebe wakey and no mow sweep.” You sniffle and cry a little with the frustration of being so tired yet unable to sleep._

_“Alright, 2hould I get you your cup?” He asks, referring to the sippy cup he gives you when you have a hard time falling asleep._

_“mmmhhhmmm….” You respond with another sniffle._

_He lays you down in your bed, tucking you in with your stuffed crab, and then leaves to go get your cup. You yawn and hug your crab close to your chest. You watch people pass by your open door. Every now and then one would peer in at you and smile as they caught you with your thumb in your mouth. Your eyes get tired as you continue to watch for your Sollus. You watch as Gamzee comes in and hovers over your bed as your eyes get heavier._

_“Gamey…” You yawn._

_“HonK!” Gamzee replies in a whisper._

_“Na-naht Gamey…” You say as you yawn again and put your thumb back in your mouth._

_“ThaT’s RigHt LitTle FucKer… Go tO slEep…” He murmurs and your eyes slam shut._

_You fall asleep and dream of your future self._

_You wake up abruptly from your dream and look around. Everything is covered in rainbows, but not the pleasant kind like in the wrigglers’ nursery. You are still in your room and your bed, but Gamzee seems to have cut you off from everyone else. The door, barely visible now, is blocked off by the dresser and surrounded by horns. You sit up in bed and hug your crab to your chest with your thumb in your mouth. You look around and watch for signs of Gamzee. You hear rustling in your closet. Your Sollus always said that there weren’t any monsters in your closet, but this instance seems to be the first one where he’s wrong._

_“HonK! hoNk HonK!” You hear Gamzee’s deep voice._

_“Gamey?” You already start shaking as you call out his name._

_“Hey TheRe lIttLe mOthErfUckEr…” He says as he slowly emerges from the closet, a dark and more ominous look about him._

_“Gamey, whewe’s dada?” Your voice cracks in fear as he comes closer and closer, holding some sort of bat in his hand._

_“He iSn’t ComIng… MotHerFucKinG MirAclEs aRe tHouGh…. Oh yEaH TheY’rE cOmIng ReAl SoOn. HonK!” He stops right in front of your bed and places a hand on the rail. “YoU WilL FaCe ThE AlmIghTy, MeEt YoUr MaKer SoOn. DeViLblOoDs lIkE yOu HavE To gO. YoUr JudGmEnT FaLlS UpoN YoUr wIcKed LittLe ShOuLderS sOoneR than MiNe.”_

_You shake and tense as you wait for something to happen. You remember what your future dreamself said and you decide that it’s time to act on it. You conjure up all of your fear, frustration and sadness and start sniffling. Your eyes get watery as the tears bubble to the surface. You cry as loud as you can and as long as you can in one breath, hoping that it will be enough to catch someone’s attention._

_You notice a spark of recognition in Gamzee’s eyes as you stare at each other while you cry. You cry harder and louder after regaining your breath a little bit. Soon, you hear banging on the door and voices demanding that it open. Gamzee seems to lose himself again as he hears them and starts to make a move towards harming you. You cringe and close your eyes, hoping that it will be painless and quick since he seems determined to cull you._

_“DADA!” You screech as you wait for Gamzee to cull you._

_As you notice nothing happening, you open your eyes and look to see that the dresser had been moved and Gamzee is restrained by Kanaya. Sollux dashes to your side and takes you in his arms._

_“You’re too young to 2leep on your own. You’ll being 2leeping with me from now on.” Sollux clutches you to his chest as he says this to you._

_“No mow!” You whine, which turns into tears and crying. “N-n-nooo mooo-oow! No mow-ow-ow!”_

_“No more what, KK?” Sollux asks, looking shocked as you glance up at him._

_“Noooo Mooow!” You sob._

_“What’2 he talking about?” Sollux asks  Kanaya._

_“I Cannot Be Sure, But With All That’s Happened, I would Assume That He Means All The Violence And Being Scared.” Kanaya replies._

_“Wan Na-na-naht!” You cry, starting to hiccup._

_“Alright KK we’ll go night-night.” Your Sollus responds and then proceeds to carry you into his bedroom._

_He changes your pull up and settles in with you, creating a nest of blankets and sheets around the two of you. He rubs your back as you start to calm down. You cuddle close to him, ensuring that his arms are around you before you dare dozing off. You can’t wait to get to your dream world and be with your future dream self._

_You awaken to find yourself sobbing and shouting stop in the waking realm as your Sollus is gently rocking you back and forth in his arms. You find that it only felt like shaking in the dream realm._

_“KK, what’2 the matter?” Sollux asks, a worried look on his face as he shifts you to rest your head on his chest. “You’ve been crying for an hour!”_

_“No mow!” You sob. “Wan no mow!”_

_“No more what, KK?”_

_“No mow feaw… no dweams… no scawy!” You fang his shoulder as you cry, hoping for a way to relax. “No bye-bye!”_

_“KK, no one’2 going bye-bye! Daddy’2 2till here!” Sollux comforts you, stroking your hair and rubbing your horns._

_“What’s the matter with Tiny Troll?” You hear Dave approaching as he says this._

_“I don’t know! He think2 we’re all going to leave him.” Your Sollus says, sounding alarmed._

_“Maybe you should leave him with the tots for a few days. I think he gets too much stimulation, like he’s on some kinda crazy angel dust around all of us rampaging psychos all the time. Just leave him with the wrigglers and I’ll drop Dirk off later, finally got the little dick to take his nap. He sleeps too well with Little Kat.” Dave suggests, sitting on the bed next to your Sollus._

_“Yeah, you’re probably right, but won’t it only freak him out more to be separated from us?”_

_“Nah, Kanaya’s a flippin’ pimp. She won’t let anything happen and she was born to squeeze kids out all the time anyway. She’s perfect to pacify the little bitches.” Dave slowly starts to let the vulgar words come out more and you sob more because the negative impression they have on you._

_“Dave, you’re doing it again.” Sollux informs him._

_“Aww Fuck.” Dave mutters, but you still hear it and you sink your fangs into Sollux’s shoulder in discomfort._

_“Ow, KK! You’re fanging too hard!” He says, attempting to shift you so that your fangs are out of his shoulder._

_“I sowwy!” You pull away and rub furiously at your eyes._

_“Dude, you okay?” Dave asks him._

_“I don’t know… he 2unk in pretty deep…” Sollux replies, pulling his collar down past his shoulder to examine the damage._

You watch the tape and are amazed by how much Sollux went through and what he was willing to go through to look after you. You’ve definitely found your moirail. You are about to say as much when the tape glitches and continues.

_You manage to climb off the bed and you run through complex until you reach a dead end. You don’t know why you led yourself this way and you regret your decision as you slump into a corner and sob until you can’t anymore, hiccups and sniffles taking over. You hear sniffing and you realize that you must be near Terezi._

_“K4rk4t?” She asks. “1s th4t you?”_

_You don’t answer. You don’t want her to know you’re there._

_“K4rkl3s, 1 c4n sm3ll you. Sp34k1ng of wh1ch, wh3n’s th3 l4st t1m3 you w3nt to th3 b4throom b3c4us3 1t’s r34lly m3ss1ng up th3 ch3rry blood sm3ll.”_

_She reaches out and takes you in her arms. You cuddle up to her knowing that you can’t get away. She carries you to her bathroom and you use the toilet and change out your pull-up the way Sollux taught you to. You wash up your hands, thankful that you don’t have stitches on them._

_“K4rkl3s, why 4r3 you 4ll th3 w4y down h3r3? Shouldn’t you b3 w1th Sollux or K4n4y4?” Terezi asks as she takes you and sets you on her bed._

_“No mow…” You sniffle._

_“Wh4t do3s th4t 3v3n m34n?”_

_“No mow bye-bye…”_

_“Why would 4nyon3 b3 l34v1ng?”_

_“No mow!” You cry in frustration._

_“Alr1ght, c4lm down, sc4r3dy k4t!” She gripes._

_You realize that you don’t wanna be back here as you look around. You don’t like the strange plushies that are hanging by their necks or the scary drawings on the walls. You try to climb off the bed and sneak out the door, but Vriska comes in and ends up blocking your escape. Vriska is the only troll who really scares you. You retreat towards the other side of the bed. She stares you down as you peer over the edge with red, puffy eyes. You duck behind the bed and find a niche between the bed and a giant chest. You slide into the niche, hoping that she won’t notice you._

_“Why is th8t little devil hiding in your room, Pyrope?” Vriska asks Terezi._

_“I found h1m outsid3 my door. He w4s b4wl1ng his 3y3s out, so I l3t h1m 1n. H3 r4n off from Sollux 1 gu3ss.” Terezi replies._

_“Why didn’t you just t8ke him b8ck?” She questions._

_“B3c4us3 h3 must h4v3 h4d 4 r34son for runn1ng off 1n th3 f1rst pl4c3. 1 w4s 4bout to f1nd out b3for3 you show3d up 4nd sc4r3d h1m 1nto 4 corn3r!”_

_“Well sorry! I’ll gr8b the little twirp and throw him out here for interrog8ion right 8w8y.”_

_Vriska’s sarcasm is biting at best as she comes around the bed and finds you curled up in the tight space between the bed and the chest. You whimper as she gets closer, your muscles tensing in fear as you try to avoid getting picked up and thrown. To your surprise her footsteps stop and nothing happens. She’s standing just a couple steps from you with an odd look on her face._

_“Wh4t’s th3 m4tt3r, Vr1sk4?” Terezi sounds annoyed._

_“D8mmit, Pyrope! Why c8n’t I just-!” Vriska groans._

_“Wh4t?”_

_“I’m not supposed to feel b8d for this little shit! But here I 8m looking 8t him being 8ll s8d 8nd p8thetic 8nd I 8ctu8lly don’t w8nt to throw him!”_

_Terezi snickers as she replies, “W4y to go, K4rkl3s! You f1n4lly got b4ck 4t her!”_

_You wonder what she means. Vriska may scare you, but that didn’t mean you were going to do anything about it. With your knees tucked to your chest under your Sollus’ shirt, your fists tucked and crossed over your chest, and your chin resting on them, you look up at Vriska with watery eyes, waiting to see what she’ll do to you. She groans and squats down in front of you, lowering herself to your eyelevel._

_“Come here, K8rk8t.”_

_It wasn’t a request, it was a command. She reaches out to you and you crawl out of the space and into her arms. She picks you up and throws you over her shoulder like Equuis would do with his towel. You kick and whine, afraid that she’ll drop you. She starts walking around the bed as you continue to freak out._

_“Aaaaahhh haa! N-n-nooo!” You whine and end up crying._

_You reach out to Terezi, who frowns, and she knocks Vriska on the head with her dragon cane. Vriska whirls around and glares at her._

_“Wh8t the hell, Pyrope? Wh8t w8s th8t for?” Vriska snaps._

_“B3 n1c3 to K4rkl3s! H3 m4y b3 4 j3rk som3t1m3s, but you’r3 only g1v1ng h1m 4 r34son to b3 1f you k33p do1ng th4t.” Terezi snaps back at her._

_“Fiiiiiiiine. Ugh!” Vriska shifts you so that she’s holding you right and you grab a hold of her shirt and bury your face in her chest. “8re you two h8ppy now?”_

_“Y3s. 1 th1nk K4rkl3s 1s too.” Terezi smirks._

_You sniffle and then yawn, your chest shuddering every now and then as your breathing evens out. You put your thumb in your mouth and your stomach growls._

_“W8s th8t his stom8ch?” Vriska asks, staring at Terezi._

_“Y34h, h3 prob4bly h4sn’t 34t3n in for3v3r. 1 m34n, w1th 3v3ryon3 fr34k1ng out 4nd 4ll, h3 prob4bly h4s b33n too pr3occup13d to c4r3.”_

_“Hey have you guys seen-” Dave interrupts, but stops as he sees you in Vriska’s arms as she turns to face him._

_“Vriska, you know you’re technically caring for a child right?” Dave asks, looking confused as he stands on the transportalizer with his arms crossed over his chest._

_“Yeeeeeeees, I know! The little shit just-ugh! Take him!” Vriska groans, thrusting you at Dave._

_“Why do you keep running off all the time?” Dave asks as you both transportalize to the lab, the only one close to your room and your Sollus’._

_“I’m scawed!” You mumble, clinging to Dave. “No mow dada!”_

_“Wait, why?” Dave asks as he carries you to Sollux in his room regardless._

_You look at Sollux and see flashbacks of the dream selves dressed in his colors and grabbing at you. You screech as he takes you in his arms and thrash at him, wanting him to let you go. He sets you down, confused and a little hurt that his crabby cuddler wants nothing to do with him. You run to Dave and cling to his jeans until he picks you up and rocks you into contentment, kissing the top of your head every now and then._

_“No-mow-no-mooo-ow!” You hiccup, through tears._

_“What’2 wrong, KK? Did I do 2omething bad?” Sollux asks you._

_You don’t respond and Dave shifts you so you can fang his shoulder. You take him up on the offer and start fanging his shoulder roughly and anxiously, clutching handfuls of fabric in your hands as you cling to him._

_“He needs to spend the week with the babies. All the big, flip-your-shit trolls are scaring the shit out of him.” Dave advises your Sollux. “I’ll take him and grab Dirk on the way. They’ll both spend the week with Kanaya and the wrigglers.”_

_“I gue22 I can’t hug him or anything…” Sollux states listlessly._

_You watch Sollux blow you kisses and wave goodbye as Dave carries you out of the bedroom. Still hiccupping, you watch the scenery change as Dave carries you into his room and picks up Dirk. Dirk cuddles up to you with a confused look on his face, but you just continue to fang Dave’s shoulder, your spit soaking into his sweatshirt and leaving it damp and darkened. After a few minutes, Dave finally walks into the wrigglers’ nursery where you are greeted by Kanaya._

_“Karkat? Sweet Baby, Come Here!” She coos to you as she gently takes you in her arms. “Ssshhh, You Poor Baby, You’re Shaking.”_

_It’s true. You are shaking as she sways with you in her arms hugging you close to her chest. You catch a glimpse of Dave setting a confused and fussy Dirk down amongst the wrigglers in a playpen. He comes over and goes to your eyelevel and you reach out a hand and grab his ear. He leans in and kisses your cheek before removing your hand from his ear, kissing it as well, and pulls his face back, still holding your hand._

_“Alright, you and little man are staying with Kanaya for a long time.” Dave tells you._

_“uh-uh!” You protest, not wanting him to abandon you._

_“It’s okay, it’s just a sleep over Tiny Kat. I’ll be by to check on you two every now and then, will that make it okay?” Dave asks._

_“Mmmmm….” You whine, grabbing his finger tight in your hand._

_“You’ll be okay. Kanaya will have you practically glued to her all the time.” Dave kisses your cheek and pulls away. “Time for me to Ollie out for awhile. Bye-bye, Tiny tyke.”_

_Dave waves to you before walking out. You look up at Kanaya in full on pout mode. She delicately brushes strands of your hair out of your face and rubs the tip of her nose to yours. She sits down in a strange chair that rocks both of you back and forth. She rubs circles on your back with the tips of her nails and you rest your cheek on her chest._

_“Sweet baby, don’t you cry. E’erything will be alright. Come to mama and stay all night. I’ll keep you safe here in my arms. Just listen to my heart as its beat chases your fears away. I’ll dry your tears as the sun breaks on a new day…” Kanaya sings to you as you shudder, trying to regain a normal breathing pattern. “Don’t hide from me and you will see the world isn’t as mean as it seems. Just close your eyes and find your sweet dreams. I’ll be here with you in my arms as you wake. I’ll steal your bad dreams and lock them away where they can’t escape…”_

_You see Dirk fussing as the wrigglers try to comfort him and he reaches for you. You reach out to him as well, grabbing at the space between you._

_“Diwk!” You sniffle, pulling away from Kanaya and pointing at him._

_“Of Course, Sweet Angel. I’ll Let You Play. Shall I Sit With You In My Lap As You Do?” Kanaya asks, getting up and walking over to the playpen._

_“Mmmmhhmmm.” You sniff._

_She sits down in the playpen, careful not to squish any of the wrigglers, and sets you in her lap with your back to her stomach. You reach out to Dirk and he crawls onto Kanaya’s lap with her help and you two cuddle as the wrigglers crawl on both of you and curl up for a nap in your laps._

_“I’m Glad You Are Content, Karkat.” She nuzzles you and you have a feeling that you might enjoy your week here._

_The week goes by quickly. You play with Dirk and the wrigglers. You get a few surprise presents from Dave and Sollux throughout the week as well. You get a giant shirt that looks like Dave’s and smells like him too, a shirt that fits you perfectly with Sollux’s sign on it, one of Sollux’s actual shirts, and an over-sized sweater with your symbol on it so that you don’t have to wear leggings or pants because you don’t like to fuss with them and they frustrate you with their weird zippers and buttons and resistant elastics._

_It’s the last day of the week they planned for you to stay with Kanaya. You and Dirk are building a little house out of stuffed animals for the wrigglers to climb on and go in. You giggle and so does Dirk as you watch the little Kankri wriggler crawl to the top and start squeaking as he realizes that it’s pretty far from the ground. You stretch out your hand and let him crawl onto you and then down into your lap until he finally reaches the floor._

_“Angel, You Have A Visitor…” Kanaya kisses your cheek as she squats down next to you._

_“Mama!” You reach for her and giggle as she blows kisses on your cheek._

_“Hey, KK…” You see your Sollux slowly coming forward._

_You reach out to him, practically falling out of Kanaya’s arms in the process, and call, “Daddee!”_

_Kanaya sets you down and Sollux squats with his arms outstretched to you with a big smile. You run to him and giggle as he hugs and nuzzles you. You give him kisses and wrap your arms around his neck, burying your face in it. He kisses you and strokes your hair as he sways with you in his arms. You look up at his face as you hear him sniffle and see that he’s crying._

_“Why cwy, daddee?” You ask, wide-eyed and curious._

_“Daddy’2 really happy two see you!” He kisses your cheeks and then your forehead._

_“We Worked A Lot With His Speaking, So He Has Improved Some.” Kanaya says as she picks up Dirk and brings him over so that he doesn’t feel left out._

_“Whewe’s Daddee?” You ask, referring to Dave who you think of as another father._

_“He’2 coming 2oon.” Sollux assures you._

_You smile big as you see him walk through the door behind your Sollus._

_“Daddee!” You call and he stops to give you kisses._

_“Dada!” Dirk calls._

_“Hey, little man! Did you have fun with Tiny Kat?” Dave takes Dirk into his arms, lifts him up like he might toss him up in the air and then hugs him to his chest._

_“Gis!” He giggles, wrapping his arms around Dave’s neck._

_“We have a big surprise for you, KK.” Sollux draws your attention back to him._

_“Suwpwize?” You ask._

_“Yeah, Little Kat, it’s a big day for you if it all works out.” Dave answers you._

_“You wanna go get it?” Sollux asks you._

_“Uh-huh!” You smile, putting your thumb in your mouth._

_He carries you, with Dave, Dirk, Kanaya, and the wrigglers tucked into a basket, to the lab where everything’s decorated to look like the wrigglers’ nursery. You look at everything with everyone gathered around. You see the monitors lit up with images that look like versions of you, one of them being the older dream self that you play with in your dreams._

_“Daddee! Lookee!” You say, pointing at the images._

_“Yeah those are pictures of you, KK.” Sollux tells you._

_“Weawwy?” You ask._

_“Yep. They’re all you.”_

_“What doin’?” You ask, more than a little scared as he sets you on the platform._

_“Thi2 ii2 your big 2urpri2e, KK. You have to 2tand right there to get it.” He tells you._

_“I’m not sure about this, Sol.” Dave admits as he holds onto Dirk, who obviously wants to join you. “Rose is good with that stuff and all, but it still seems really risky.”_

_“I’m not either, Dave.” Sollux says._

_You run off the platform and into the bathroom, realizing you really have to go. Before you get the chance to, Sollux grabs you and cuddles you to his chest, trying to soothe you unnecessarily since he doesn’t realize that you had to go, not that you were running away._

_“Mmmm…” You whine, pushing him away._

_“It’2 okay, KK. Don’t be 2cared.” He soothes you._

_“NO! Potty! Daddee, I go potty!” You whine, trying to hold it in._

_“Oh, Daddy’2 2orry!” He quickly sets you down, but it’s too late because you couldn’t hold it in._

_“Eeeeeh!” You cry, upset that you had an accident when you were about to go all by yourself for the first time._

_You reach out to Sollux, your pull-up soiled, and cry. He takes you in his arms and soothes you a little as he grabs a pull-up and helps you onto the potty to get cleaned up. Dave comes in a moment later, you’re still crying and trying not to rub your eyes as Sollux helps you into the fresh pull-up._

_“What happened?” Dave asks, leaning on the door frame with his arms crossed over his chest, frowning all the while._

_“KK came into the bathroom to go potty and 2ince we thought he wa2 ju2t hiding and I picked him up before he could go, he had an accident and he’2 really up2et about it.” Sollux explains as he picks you up and bounces you in his arms._

_“Poor Little Kat! Did daddy make you have an accident?” Dave coos at you in his style and takes you into his arms._

_“MMmmhhhmmm…” You sniffle, starting to hiccup a little._

_“You know what might make you feel better?” Dave asks with his face in your hair as he rubs your back and kisses your horns._

_“Hmm?” You ask, looking up at him and rubbing your eyes._

_“Your surprise. You wanna go see what it is?”_

_“Mmmmhmmm…” You reply, wrapping one arm around part of his neck and slipping your thumb into your mouth as you rest your head on his shoulder._

_He carries you back into the lab and you get blocked from the platform by Kanaya. You bury your face in Dave’s chest as she starts fussing over you._

_“What Happened?” She asks, stroking your hair._

_“Long story short, he actually went in there to go potty and Sollux stopped him since we all thought he was hiding and he had an accident which made him cry.” Dave answers._

_“Mama!” You murmur, reaching out to her and she takes you in her arms._

_“Sshh, Baby, It’s Alright. We Know It Was Just An Accident.” She showers you in kisses and hugs you gently, but firmly to her chest. “Do You Want Your Surprise?”_

_“Uh-huh…” You answer._

_She sets you down on the platform and you stand there, worry painted on your face, waiting for the surprise. Machines whir and power up, shaking the platform you’re standing on, and you fall on your butt off the platform. A bolt of sparks strike the platform and you start crying as some of them hit you after rebounding off of it. The machines come to a sudden stop, your two dads and mom run to you and crowd around you. You go to Dave and cling to him._

_“It seems like the machines were not going to give the desired outcome and Karkat’s fall was more of a stroke of luck than a lack of balance.” Rose says as she frowns and Jade runs over to you._

_“Karkat! Are you okay?” She asks you, shrinking to your eyelevel._

_You shake your head and reach out to her, starting to cry, she seems the most scared for you and less shocked than the others, which means she’ll provide the response that you desire. She cradles you to her chest, hugging you tightly and gently with her face buried in your hair._

_“No suw-pwiz-es!” You sob._

Sollux is shaking and crying at the end of this tape as the screen blacks out. You cuddle up to him and nuzzle him. This is definitely not who you were before.


	23. Chapter 23

“Daddy! Don’t cry.” You say, your lip trembling.

“I almost killed you!” He says, hugging you close to his chest.

“But I’m here now!”

“Ye2 you are!”

“I think you did a great job re-training me.”

“I’m glad. You were so preciou2 a2 a little toddler. I hope you have wriggler2 because they will be every bit like you.”

“Actually, like you. You taught me how to be this way,” You chuckle as you two continue to cuddle.

“KK, do you remember what I told you when I finally found you after you ran off ?”

“How the fuck am I supposed to remember any of that when you guys fucking fried my think pan?”

“Good point, but I 2aid that I would be your lu2u2 and your Mate2prit. I2 that 2omething you want?”

“I don’t know.” You confess, feeling oddly guilty and uncomfortable.

You attempt to get up and leave, but Sollux pulls me onto his lap.

“It’2 okay, KK. Shhhh. I love you either way. You don’t have to choo2e me a2 your Mate2prit to make 2ure I love you, but you need to choo2e if you love me a2 a Mate2prit or a lu2u2.”

“You talk funny.” You blurt without thinking.

“Wow, thank2, KK. We really mu2t have done 2ome damage becau2e even when you were a jerk you didn’t 2ay 2tuff like that.”

"Sorry, Sol..." You look into his eyes with your head tilted down. You think you know what you want from him now.

"It'2 okay, KK." He smiles and kisses your cheek in an innocent manner.

You definitely know what you want now.

"My room. Now. You are _my_ Captor."

You smile deviously and drag him to your bedroom. He looks at you over his glasses as if he's surprised.

"Don't act so surprised. Get off your ass and come undress me." You order, smirking as he looks unsure of himself and a little uncomfortable. "Well? How are we supposed to get to the fun part if you can't even undress me!"

"If you're 2ure." Sollux says with obvious hesitation.

"Please tell me that you aren't still regarding me as the one sweep old troll you raised for awhile. If you are, this is going to be an uncomfortable nightmare." You stop him as he starts to get up.

"Well yeah... I changed your diaper2 for a 2weep and bathed you and 2tuff." Sollux admits.

"Fine, just leave then." You sigh, turning and goint into your bathroom.

"KK, come on. I want to, you know I do." He calls from his place on the bed.

I slip down to nothing but one of his ridiculously long t-shirts and walk back out to him.

"Prove it, Captor." You challenge, standing with your arms crossed over your chest.

"It'2 easier to 2ee it now..." He breathes, getting up and walking over to me.

He pulls your arms to wrap them around his neck and wraps his around your waist, tilting his head to the side a bit to gain easier access to your mouth. His tongue teases your as they practically play hide and seek in your mouths. You undress him slowly as the two of you make your way to his bed. He pulls his shirt off of you and lays on top of you. He thrusts himself inside of you, pushing faster and rougher as your breathing shallows. You moan in pleasure, an orgasm at the back of your throat slowly crawling out of your throat. You switch positions and his pleasure seems to come quicker as he moans and digs his fingers in your naked flesh. The two of you tangled with each other, you lie under the covers, panting. You look at he and he looks at you.

"I have no regrets." You murmur a seriousness accompanying the loving tone of your voice.

"I have been waiting to hear that all my life." Sollux's response is the same in tone as yours.

The two of you cuddle and eventually fall asleep, worn out from all the emotional drama and incredible fornication.

You want nothing more than for this to last.


	24. The Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What will happen between Karkat and Sollux? Will they really become Matesprits or is a new kind of romance foing to turn this quadrant shipping into pentagon shipping? (Could that even be a thing-pentagon shipping? Who the fuck cares. you just want these two to screw and cuddle.)

You awaken to an empty bed. You were with him last night, you swear.

Panicking, you sit up and hyperventilate, crying uncontrollably. You feel trapped, like something bad has you cornered and you'll never escape. The room seems to stretch and distort so that you're the smallest thing in it. You just want Sollux to come back. You sob and it turns into wailing. It echoes in the seemingly cavernous room.

"KK, what'2 the matter?" Sollux demands, rushing to your side and taking you in his arms.

"Help me! Where am I? What's happening?" You sob, clutching his shirt and burying your face in his neck.

"KK, you're right here in your bedroom. I went to the bathroom and got dre22ed so we could get breakfa2t." He answers, then it seems to hit him. "2hit KK, you're having a panic attack. That thing we did fucked up your head."

It makes sense as the room returns to normal as you take in all of this. Your memory is fried so it stands to reason that you would have a panic attack and not remember what hell is happening.

"Never leave me alone, Solly..." You sniffle as he rubs your back with his fingertips and kisses your forehead.

"I Promi2e." He assures you.

.......

It's been a year since you made Sollux your Matesprit. you want to claim him in every way possible so John and Jade and Rose are helping you plan one of their human weddings. You are wearing an all white tux with red accents in the bow tie, cumberbund, and handkerchief. Sollux will be wearing a black suit with yellow accents in the same fashion. Kanaya is giving you away to Sollux. Dave and John on your best men since you couldn't pick between the two. Kanaya is your Maid of honor and terezi and nepeta are your brides maids. you get the feeling they're making fun of you by labeling you the bride but you don't actually care at this point.

The ceremony commences and as it plays out, you and sollux gradually switch accent pieces, signaling the meshing of your lives leading up to the final point of no return where you clasp the rings, which are made with hemostones, onto each other's fingers.

The song that plays is your parody of Kiss Me Slowly by Troll Parachute, which you re-wrote to be Captorvate Me. (Guys, I actually wrote a parody of the song! Check it out sometime under songstuck) You slow dance together at the reception, both of you eagerly anticipating your first bucket filling late that night. The lab is all decked out and looking great with lights and decorations that coordinate both your hemocolor and his. 

....

It's the honeymoon. You two are in a secluded wing of the building, cuddled up with a bucket and a romcom. After the movie, you two proceed to the bed. You strip down to a vest and your body-hugging boxers and he is too. He comes closer, slowly crawling on top of you, kissing every scar and mark and section of exposed flesh on his way to your neck. he kisses, starting to get rougher and rougher until you realize he's leaving his mark by giving you a hicky. It sends shivers through your body, shivers of pure endorphins and pleasure. You feel an orgasm rise out of the depth of your being. Helets your throw him off so you can give him a taste of what you can do. After awhile, the two of you fill a bucket and curl up for the night.

.......

It's been 10 months since you two filled a bucket. It has only gotten better since then. Sollux treats you like his baby at times, but you both know that you're matesprits, especially since Karsol was born. He's the most beautiful grub the two of you could have conceived. You both spend a great deal of time with him, but on occasion when you miss being Sollux's little kitten, Karsol stays with his grandma Kanaya. Karsol almost never leaves your side other wise and Sollux never leaves yours. 

He can't.

Every time you go to sleep and wake up, he has to remind you of who you are, where you are, and what's happened since the regression. It's hard on him and you, but you both make it work because the thought of losing each other is more than eithere of you can handle.


	25. Extra Special Fluff Chapter

It's 3 in the morning and you can't sleep even though you feel completely fried. Sollux, lying next to you, feels the exact same way. You both promised to stick to the plan, but now you are betting on how long it will be before one of you snaps and goes in his room. Just as Sollux sighs and sits up in bed, you throw off the covers and blindly try to slip your feet into your slippers.

"KK, we both promi2ed we wouldn't." Sollux reminds you, grabbing your hand as you start to get out of bed.

"We both know that neither of us have the grub sauce to lie in bed and try to tune this out." You reason with a sigh. "Doesn't it make you feel like shit to hear him?"

"Obviou2ly, but he need2 to learn independence 2ometime. You know, all that 2elf-soothing b2 Kanaya teache2?" Sollux reminds you.

"I know, but I sure as hell can't do it tonight." you argue, kissing his hand befoer breaking away.

In your boxers and tee, you exit your bedroom and go across the hall to his room, painted a mellow sunset orange. Opening the door, the hallway light illuminates a sliver of his bed, you see him sitting in his footie pajamas behind the safety rails on his bed, crying, rubbing the tears away.

"Shhh, baby, it's fine. Daddy's here." you comfort him as you pick up your distressed little boy.

"Dada!" He sobs in a hiccupping whiny voice as he wraps his arms around your neck while you kiss his tear-covered cheeks.

You sway and rock him in your arms, cradling him like a baby. you decide to carry him back to your bedroom and Sollux seems to relax as he sees your baby cradled in your arms, his blanket clutched in one hand with his other hand holding your thumb in his mouth. Sollux settle in as you awkwardly climb onto the bed and cuddle up to him with your baby cuddled up to your chest, stretching out a bit to see his other daddy before pulling his legs and arms in, holding the balled up blanket next to his cheek.

"Hey, baby Kar2ol..." Sollux coos in a whisper, stroking the feathery strands of hair across his baby's forehead. "You 2till don't like your room very much do you?"

"no, you don't. Tell dada the color's too scary for night night." You coo at him and he whines in agreement, not knowing how to say anything other than dada.

"What color 2hould we paint it then?" He questions, kissing your cheek.

"How about a nice, pale perwinkle-blue? Like Uncle John's little swirly symbol?" you suggest, almost more to Karsol than Sollux.

Karsol giggles as you trace the symbol on his delicate little tummy. You grab a picture of John off your nightstand and show it to Karsol, who reaches out for it, grabbing at the air in front of it. you let him take it and he cuddles it to his chest as he starts crying, his lips quivering and his eyes squinting shut.

"Ssshhh, baby, it's alright. He's okay. We promise you'll see Uncl John again." you soothe, kissing his cheek.

Karsol had only seen his Uncle John once when he was barely half a sweep old. John was really good with him, but he couldn't stay long because Jade could only hold the rift in space for so long. John and Jade are the only ones who know about you and Sollux being matesprits, let alone matesprits with a baby! Karsol loved Uncle John and now everytime he is reminded of him, he throws a fit, which is usually when the whispering starts. John can sometimes get glimpses of you three through Jade and when he sees Karsol is upset, he sends the wind to whisper his love and closeness.


End file.
